Just One Little Shove at Jusenkyo
by Saria-the-green-haired
Summary: ...can change your life forever, as Yami discovers. Crossover with Ranma 1/2, SetoxYami among others. *Complete!: Chapters 6 and 7 added 12/23/02*
1. Chapter One

Warnings: Swearing, eventual yaoi, most likely some hetero-pairings (shock, horror), general oddity, "cross dressing" (it ain't real cross dressing 'til it involves Tsubasa and Kontasu…), and pissed-off Yami. I think that's all…  
  
Pairings: SetoxYami  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh, nor do I own Ranma ½…though I wish I did…  
  
Notes: A Yu-gi-oh/Ranma ½ crossover…most of the Ranma cast makes its debut later in the story… Yami in leather, mostly-involuntary dates, Jounochi and Honda bashing (sort of…you'll see…it's kinda literal…), and much confusion and yelling. Chaos is fun, no? ^.~ And Mai gets to be a terribly cute (IMHO, at least…) matchmaker…0=)  
  
/…/ is Yuugi thought-speaking with Yami  
  
//…// is Yami thought-speaking with Yuugi  
  
… is speech in Chinese  
  
Ranma/Ranma-kun = male Ranma  
  
Yami/Yami-kun = male Yami  
  
Ranma-chan/Ranko(-chan) = female Ranma  
  
Yami-chan/Ai Morisato =female Yami (I suck at names and I read too much manga/fanfics…^^;)  
  
This idea stemmed from me seeing extremely cute SetoxYami fanart and rereading "Dib ½" by ArmandLeg too much…^^; Also, I take no responsibility for how Yami's girl form looks…I don't know how my brain works…and Yami is Not Happy…heheh.  
  
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Just One Little Shove at Jusenkyo…  
  
~* Chapter One *~  
  
It was a beautiful summer day: the birds were chirping, the sun was shining brightly, the sky was blue, and a legendary training ground named Jusenkyo had some interesting visitors.  
  
Yami, Yuugi, Jounochi, Honda, Bakura, and Anzu were taking a vacation in China this summer and had seen a pamphlet for the "legendary training grounds of Jusenkyo." Interested, they had approached the guide as soon as they got there, so they were well-informed of the risks of the innocent- looking springs scattered around the place. Currently, they were taking a tour.  
  
The guide walked in front of them, pointing at the various springs. "And this, sirs, is the Nyannichuan, the Spring of Drowned Girl. Very tragic story of young girl who drown here 1500 years ago (Saria: Is that right? I'm not positive since it's been a while since I last read the first volume…). Now whoever fall in spring take shape of young girl."  
  
Yami, who was fourth in line, stopped at this spring. He bent down and looked at the crystal clear waters. "I wonder what it would feel like to drown…" he murmured absently. Honda and Jounochi, who were behind him, were goofing around and shoving each other playfully. Thus began a freak chain of events that were quite normal for the Ranmaverse… Jounochi shoved Honda a little bit too hard, Honda tripped over a convenient rock and went flying towards the ground, threw out his hands to brace his fall, and pushed Yami, who lost his balance and fell into the spring. The only thought going through Jounochi and Honda's heads was "Oh, shit!"  
  
The guide and the others, who were ahead of the trio, stopped as they heard a resounding splash behind them. They turned around and saw a wide-eyed Jounochi and Honda and bubbles on the surface of the Nyannichuan. A long moment passed in silence, then a head broke the surface of the water. Everyone stared in shock as the "girl" climbed out of the spring. Her dark green hair flowed down her back, stopping just past her shoulders, with ebony highlights. Her spiked silver bangs framed her face nicely. She was well built and slender, if a bit on the short side.  
  
"How horrible, sir! You is falling into-" the guide began, only to be interrupted.  
  
"Jounochi did it! He pushed me!" Honda yelped as he backed away.  
  
"Hey! It wasn't my fault!" Jounochi yelled at Honda. They stopped bickering as the girl, head lowered, casually wrung out the shirt of the blue school uniform, then her hair. After doing that, she stood silently for a while, and Jounochi and Honda were just beginning to relax when she nonchalantly reached out and snapped one of the bamboo poles in the spring, ignoring the guide's sound of protest. Then her head snapped up and Jounochi and Honda audibly gulped. The eyes were unmistakably Yami's: red, slanted, and currently pissed off. Jounochi and Honda began running when she started twirling the makeshift weapon menacingly. The chase began with an outraged shriek of "JOUNOCHI AND HONDA NO BAKA!!" Yuugi, Bakura, and Anzu looked at each other, shrugged, then began following the guide again.  
  
*****************************************************************  
  
In the wilderness of China, in the Amazon village of the Jokuzetsu, the Amazons were having a normal day. Xian Pu and Ku Lon had come back from Japan for a brief visit, and were catching up with some old friends when they were treated with a peculiar sight. All the Amazons stared as two tall young men, one with odd brown hair and the other with blonde hair ran frantically from a short, green haired, bamboo-wielding girl, who was yelling various obscenities and death threats.  
  
Ku Lon shook her head. I thought we left that nonsense behind in Nerima with son-in-law… she muttered.  
  
****************************************************************  
  
Back at Jusenkyo, in the guide's house, the others (sans Jounochi, Honda, and Yami) were drinking tea when an extremely battered Jounochi and an equally beaten up Honda stumbled into the house and collapsed. There was a clunk outside, then Yami-chan stepped inside the house regally, minus bamboo pole, looking none the worse for wear.  
  
She flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled. "That felt good!" she directed her attention on the guide. "Hot water changes me back, right?" At the guide's tentative nod, she grabbed the steaming kettle of hot water on the stove and poured it over herself. Yami placed the now half full kettle back on the stove and turned back to face the group. "Shall we return to the hotel?" he queried, picking Jounochi and Honda up easily and heading out the door before they could answer.  
  
****************************************************************  
  
The next morning, back at the hotel, Yuugi got out of bed, noted that he was the only one up, and went to the bathroom. He turned the faucet of the sink to wash his hands and cold water sprayed all over him. Apparently, the faucet was faulty. Yuugi managed to turn the water off, but not before becoming thoroughly soaked. In his sleep, Yami felt vaguely uncomfortable, he was…cold and wet? Yawning, he sat up and stretched, absently noting that he had separated from his Aibou sometime during the night, then froze as a strand of silver hair came into his view. He opened the top of his pajamas and stared in shock.  
  
The silence pervading the sleeping hotel was shattered by an ear-piercing scream. Four minutes later, when Yuugi, Bakura, Honda, Jounochi, and Anzu had managed to climb out of bed and be decent and/or get out of the bathroom, they raced to the room Yuugi (and Yami) were staying in and threw open the door, sure that someone was being killed or attacked. What they saw was something completely different. They stared at the still-screaming Yami-chan, whose top was still open, revealing quite a bit of cleavage. Bakura, Honda, and Jounochi immediately turned away and tried not to get nosebleeds. Yuugi ran forward and hugged his other. Anzu simply stood there, then tried to help quiet the near-hysterical Yami-chan down.  
  
After Yami-chan was breathing normally again, and had buttoned her shirt so the boys could turn around again, the group set about figuring out what had happened.  
  
"I guess the curse changing thing is permanent…but Yami isn't wet, so she, er, he should still be male…" Honda said thoughtfully.  
  
"Well…I got sprayed with cold water in the bathroom," Yuugi added hesitantly. "But Yami didn't get wet, so he shouldn't have changed…right?"  
  
"Maybe it's because you two are connected by the Puzzle, so if Yuugi gets splashed, it's like Yami does too…" Bakura said. "If that's true, then pouring hot water on Yuugi should change Yami back…" Standing up, he grabbed a cup of warm water and poured part of it on Yuugi's head. Nothing happened, and he poured some on Yami-chan, who changed back. Frowning, Bakura got some cold water and poured it on Yuugi. Almost instantly, Yami changed into a short, green-haired, glowering girl. Sighing, Bakura poured the rest of the warm water on Yami, who changed back. "So…pouring warm water on Yuugi won't work, but pouring cold water on him will activate the curse for Yami. I wonder why?" Yami twitched.  
  
"Maybe someone up there has a weird sense of humor…" Jounochi joked, then quailed at Yami's fierce glare. "Eep…I was kiddin'!" Honda decided that he was unnecessary in what looked to be imminent Jounochi-hurting and stayed silent, Yuugi sweatdropped as Yami redefined glare, Anzu ignored the males in the room and read a magazine, and Bakura sat and thought. Fortunately, (or unfortunately if you were a certain mad as hell Game King…) before things got too violent, Yuugi's cell phone began ringing. (Saria: Meh…he has a cell phone now…^^;) Everyone stopped what they were doing and began not-eavesdropping as Yuugi answered the phone.  
  
"Moshi moshi. 'Jiichan? Hai, we're fine…ano, of course we're enjoying our vacation! Heheh…uh-huh…we were just about to go eat breakfast. Hai, hai…we know. How's the shop doing? Mhmm…tell 'kaasan I miss her too…ja!" Yuugi hung up the phone and stood up, smiling brightly at the group. "That was 'jiichan. He says everything's fine back home. How about we go get some breakfast and then go visit that museum we passed the other day?" Jounochi fairly leaped at this idea, and the others agreed, some more reluctantly than others, and the group headed out of the hotel. The rest of their vacation passed in relative peacefulness and everyone returned more or less unhurt.  
  
********************************************************************  
  
A day after their arrival home, they were walking around town when a voice called out behind them. They turned to see Mai running after them. (Saria: I apologize in advance for Mai's OOCness…-_-;)  
  
She stopped in front of them. "Hi! How's life been?" she asked, smiling. Jounochi eyed her a bit suspiciously, but Yuugi, as cheerful as ever, greeted her cheerfully.  
  
"Mai! It's nice to see you again! What brings you here?"  
  
"I decided to stay here for a while, I just got an apartment. I'm going to take a small break from traveling." Mai turned and spotted Yami, who was regarding her neutrally. "Yami, long time no see, ne? What would you think about a duel?" Before Yami could reply, a car zoomed by over a puddle of water, hitting everyone with cold water. Mai blinked at the odd sight before her. "This is new…" Explanations followed. Afterwards, once Mai had digested the new information, she began giggling hysterically.  
  
Yami-chan glared at her. "Just *what* is so funny?!" she demanded furiously.  
  
Mai managed to calm down enough to reply. "Nothing…it's just that, you…you're going to have boys falling at your feet!" she broke off into peals of laughter as Yami-chan ground her teeth. After she stopped laughing, she looked at Yami-chan critically. "Though, if you're going to be walking around as a girl some of the time, you should wear clothes that fit you better…" Before the change, Yami had been wearing a black sleeveless shirt and leather pants, both close-fitting, and now that he was a girl, the shirt was a bit tight, not that the males walking past the group minded, not at all. "I saw the cutest dress at the mall earlier-"  
  
Yami-chan's temper flared up. "I am *not* wearing a dress!" The fact that most of the group dissolved into helpless laughter at this new image did nothing to improve her temper.  
  
Mai smiled slyly. "Though, I bet you wouldn't mind if that multi- millionaire Kaiba kid was at your beck and call, ne?" she winked at Yami- chan, whose face flamed.  
  
"Nani?!! Maiiiii~! What's that supposed to mean?!" she practically screamed, her face matching her eyes nicely.  
  
Mai examined her nails, an innocent expression painted on her face. "Nothing…nothing that you don't know, of course…" she had known for quite a while that the red-eyed King of Games was head-over-heels for Seto Kaiba, (who really needed to work on his people skills, in her opinion) which was a pity, since he was a rather cute kid. But what could be more fun than playing matchmaker? And seeing the usually composed Yami go to pieces, of course. Mai smiled inwardly, a smile that would have sent Yami running and screaming in the other direction, had he seen it.  
  
As if on cue, Mai saw Seto Kaiba walking towards them. He nodded his head at them briefly as he approached, but didn't stop. At least, not until he spotted Yami-chan, who was standing next to Mai. He stopped and stared for a bit, much to Mai's amusement, then grabbed Yami-chan's left hand in both of his own.  
  
"Hello. I don't believe we've met before. I'm Seto Kaiba, what's your name?" Yami-chan blinked at him in confusion, thrown by the way he was acting. Seizing the chance, Mai stepped up behind Yami-chan.  
  
"Her name's Ai. Ai Morisato. She's, ah, my cousin, and she'll be staying with me for a while." Mai stifled a giggle at the way Seto was staring at "Ai," he hadn't even noticed that she was wearing a Puzzle like Yuugi and Yami's!  
  
"Pleased to meet you, Ai. But tell me, what's a lovely young lady like yourself doing with losers like these?" Jounochi glared at Seto poisonously. Mai smirked to herself as Seto continued to flirt with a not- quite-ignoring-his-advances Yami-chan, then noticed that Yami-chan's right hand, the one still by her side, was slowly closing into a fist. Mai then correctly deduced that someone, most likely Seto, was headed for a decking, which did *not* fit into her plans. She smiled brilliantly, grabbed Yami- chan's arm, and began to tow her off.  
  
"Nice to see you again, but we really have to be going now! Jaaaaa…" she called as she ran off. When she finally stopped, Yami-chan gave her an extremely Evil Eye, the effect of which was severely dampened by the fact that she was blushing slightly.  
  
"What was that for, Mai?!" she all but wailed. "That was so embarrassing!"  
  
"Oh, was it? You certainly weren't complaining when Kaiba was fawning over you…" Mai replied.  
  
Yami-chan scowled at her. "I was just surprised, that's all!" her mood darkened as Mai collapsed into laughter. "Hey, it's not that funny! MAIIIIII~!"  
  
When the others finally caught up, hot water in hand, they saw a fuming (and blushing) Yami-chan glaring daggers at a hysterical Mai.  
  
To be continued…  
  
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Saria: :snickers: Yes, Mai's being horribly mean to Yami, but that's half the fun! ^^ There wasn't much plot in this chapter, just me having fun torturing Yami. 0=)  
  
Next chapter: The date!, the start of the angst (this isn't going to be a super angsty fic, but there'll be angst, don't worry ^^), possibly the entrance of the Ranma cast, cold and hot water, and Mai takes (drags) Yami- chan shopping! :glances away from her computer: SETO! STOP HITTING ON YAMI! SAVE IT FOR THE STORY! *Ahem*….  
  
One last thing: What couplings besides SetoxYami would you people like to see? I'm leaning for Ranma/Akane in Ranma ½…and possibly Ryoga/Ukyo, but I'll write other couplings…^^ The focus won't really be on these couplings though…they'll kind of be secondary… 


	2. Chapter Two

Warnings: Swearing (once the Ranma cast shows up, that is…), eventual yaoi, "cross dressing," angst, OOCness, and weirdness. And many things (such as Yami's physical abilities) pulled out of my ass…  
  
Pairings: SetoxYami  
  
Disclaimer: Believe me, people, if I owned Ranma ½ *or* Yu-gi-oh, things would be a LOT different…  
  
Notes: Yu-gi-oh/Ranma ½ crossover. Shopping, a date, angst. And you meet the Ranma cast! You all know what that means, don't you? Mallets, jealous fiancées, and much misunderstanding…and freak chains of events…  
  
/…/ is Yuugi thought-speaking with Yami  
  
//…// is Yami thought-speaking with Yuugi  
  
… is speech in Chinese  
  
Ranma/Ranma-kun = male Ranma  
  
Yami/Yami-kun = male Yami  
  
Ranma-chan/Ranko(-chan) = female Ranma  
  
Yami-chan/Ai Morisato =female Yami  
  
Thanks to SOMEONE, The Incarnation Pokemon, ChocoStrawberry-chan, The Mad Fangirl, Yami-kun (I just started this fic cuz I like the insanity of Ranma ½…and the mental image of Yami-chan in a dress was *too* good to pass up…), ABL, and DiXiE (if you IM me, I can give you links to all my favorite sites ^^ My AIM username is BlueNessie01) for reviewing! ^^  
  
And I'm aware that my pronoun use while referring to Yami/Yami-chan may seem odd…Yami thinks of himself as "he" no matter what form he's in…but the others (especially Seto) refer to him as a "her" while he's female…  
  
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Just One Little Shove at Jusenkyo…  
  
~* Chapter Two *~  
  
There was roughly one week before summer break ended and school started for his Aibou and his friends, and Yami was, to put it lightly, upset. Well, that wasn't correct either: he was happy, yet he wasn't. He was currently female, separated from his Aibou, and walking around town aimlessly, thinking. These past few weeks, in his opinion, had been Hell. The first problem had been adjusting to his new body, seeing as cold water had now taken a perverse delight in splashing him whenever possible, which was no easy feat.  
  
The second (and in his opinion, worse) problem had been Mai. Not that he didn't like her, per se, but she had apparently decided that while he was female, he needed to *look* the part, which was ridiculous in his opinion. Mai had taken him shopping (she had threatened to knock him unconscious and then drag him there), which had *not* been fun. First, she had "persuaded" him to hide his Puzzle with magic, much like Bakura (or was it Yami Bakura) had hidden the Ring. She had said it was because the Puzzle, and this was a quote, "looks so horrible and tacky and gaudy on you when you're female!" He hadn't cared what it looked like, but had relented after she had dragged him to a store and showed him a leather outfit (he didn't have anything against leather, as a rule, but…) and told him that he could either hide his Puzzle or wear the outfit in public. Forcibly. Since he would rather be trapped in the Puzzle for eternity rather than wear the Thing (as he called the outfit, as he wasn't sure that there was enough material in the *skirt*, let alone the bodice, to call it clothing) outside, he had hidden the Puzzle. Then had come the actual shopping. Fortunately, he had managed to convince her that he couldn't buy dresses because he might change back into a guy while wearing one, and that would be horrible. Naturally, this had been *after* she had hauled him to a store that was, to his horror, filled with pink. And lace. Lots of it. Most of it either extremely skimpy or ridiculously frilly. He'd had nightmares for days. After that experience, they had compromised on androgynous outfits, many leather (he liked wearing leather, when it *wasn't* a skirt and he was decently covered by it) and/or black and tight. Because, as Mai had said (he agreed partially, but he wasn't going to tell her *that*!), "if you've got it, flaunt it!" Luckily for him, she hadn't tried to buy him appropriate female, er, underwear. He had no desire whatsoever to wear a bra or panties, as he had told her flatly. She had sighed and agreed, mostly because the majority of his outfits wouldn't *need* a bra… And the lessons on "how to act like a girl" had been…odd, to say the least. He hadn't realized that there was so much to being a girl. Or maybe it was just a Mai thing…  
  
The third, and most disconcerting, problem was also a person. Namely, Seto Kaiba. The young multi-millionaire had an uncanny ability to show up when he was in girl form, and with Mai. Every time they saw him, Seto was perfectly courteous and charming to "Ai," which filled him with a pleasantly fuzzy and warm feeling while he was there, but left him with a sense of shame and self-loathing when he was gone. And he wasn't sure how he felt about his curse. Most of him was happy and didn't hate his curse, because, when he was in his girl form, Seto looked at him with kind and caring eyes, which he wanted, needed. But part of him, his heart, ached dully, because…because the only reason that Seto looked at "Ai" that way, was because he was a girl, because he was beautiful…because "Ai" wasn't Yami, wasn't him…and he hurt, because he was deceiving Seto, was deceiving himself, with this ruse. But he couldn't bring himself to tell Seto the truth, because he needed that kindness, no matter how fake it was. Kami, he was so weak!  
  
Since he was deep in thought, the King (or is that Queen?) of Games didn't notice a brown-haired, blue-eyed figure until it was too late.  
  
"Ai!" startled, Yami-chan looked up and cursed inwardly. He *would* see Seto, wouldn't he? Sighing, the neo-girl stopped walking and began trying to think of an easy escape plan.  
  
"Kaiba…" Yami-chan said softly. Undaunted by the slightly cold greeting, Seto stopped next to Yami-chan.  
  
"Seto. Call me Seto."  
  
"Seto-kun…" Yami-chan whispered, refusing to look up at him. Then she blinked, surprised as Seto placed a hand on her arm.  
  
"Do you have anything to do today?" Feeling strangely lightheaded, Yami-chan shook her head. "Great! Would you like to join me for, I dunno, coffee or tea?" Dumbfounded, Yami-chan stared up at Seto, eyes wide. Seto took her silence for agreement and, grabbing her arm, began walking towards a small café.  
  
Ten minutes later they were sitting at an outdoor table, making small talk. Underneath the happiness she was feeling, Yami-chan could feel bile welling up in her throat. This was wrong, he had to stop it. But…he…  
  
After about five more minutes of meaningless conversation, Yami-chan had finally gathered up the courage to tell Seto the truth, no matter how much it would hurt afterwards. Clearing her throat, she spoke up, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen. "Seto-kun?" she fidgeted. "I have something to tell you…"  
  
"What is it, Ai?" Seto asked gently.  
  
Yami-chan looked at him, red eyes serious. "It's very important…promise me you'll listen to the whole thing before you react?" Curious, Seto nodded. Yami-chan cleared her throat. "Well, you see…I'm-" before she was able to get anything else out, a passing waiter spilled some tea on her, triggering the change. The result? A wide-eyed and shocked Yami staring at an equally shocked but getting angry Seto Kaiba. Sensing the potentially explosive situation, the waiter hurriedly handed Yami some napkins, then hurried away, muttering something about getting weaker medication from his doctor. Standing up, Yami waved his arms frantically. "I can explain, Kaiba!"  
  
Seto stood up also. "You had better, *Yami*," he hissed softly, voice full of venom. Yami flinched. "But I don't think I want to hear your lies. Just what were you trying to accomplish, posing as a girl?" he pulled his arm away as Yami put one hand out. "Don't touch me, you *freak*. Stay away."  
  
"Wait, Kaiba…listen to me!" Seto looked at Yami coolly.  
  
"I don't think I will. After all, I hate you, so why should I listen to anything you have to say? Now get out of my sight." For a long moment, Yami stared up at Seto with pain-filled eyes, dimly aware that his heart hurt more than before…then, without another word, he turned and fled, trying to keep the tears at bay, and ignoring the rain that began to fall, the rain that echoed his mood perfectly. The rain that could wash away his tears but couldn't wash away the pain in his chest.  
  
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Yuugi was sitting in his room, staring out the window at the rain outside, thinking about nothing in particular. He jumped when the front door was slammed open and footsteps came running up the stairs. He was surprised and more than a little startled when Yami-chan came running in, soaking wet.  
  
"Yami-?" he asked, but that was all he got out before Yami-chan merged with him again and slammed the door of her soul room shut. He ran to the door of the soul room and pulled on the handle, but it wouldn't budge. "Yami!" he called worriedly, banging on the door. Eventually he quieted. In the silence, he heard an odd sound coming from under the door. After a few seconds, he identified it as crying. He returned to the outside world and sat on his bed, drawing his knees up to his chest, violet eyes troubled. He had never heard Yami cry like that before…and he could feel Yami's pain and sorrow through their link. His eyes darkened briefly with worry and anger. Someone had hurt his Yami deeply. They would pay for making the strongest person he knew suffer like that. (Saria: No, this isn't going to be a revenge fic…Yuugi's just being caring and protective…) He sat there long into the night, thinking, until he could feel that Yami had fallen asleep. Only then did he rest.  
  
The next morning, Bakura, Jounochi, Honda, Anzu, and Mai had come over at Yuugi's request. After hearing Yuugi's tale, they had sat around and discussed what could have upset Yami so much.  
  
Mai's eyes flashed angrily. "I bet I know who it was…Seto Kaiba. He probably found out about the curse and did something stupid."  
  
Yuugi looked up at Mai. "But Yami was in girl form…" Mai paused, then her eyes narrowed.  
  
"Did you say that it was raining when he got home yesterday?" Yuugi nodded. "Then Seto could have found out about the curse before it started raining…"  
  
Jounochi growled. "That, that…I'm gonna kill Kaiba! Hurting Yami like that! The jerk!" Before Jounochi could make good on his threat, however, Yami separated from Yuugi, still in girl form, her back to them. She walked towards the door, stopping when Yuugi called out hesitantly.  
  
"Yami? Are you all right?" Yami-chan turned around and smiled brightly, a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, crimson eyes that were slightly puffy.  
  
"Of course, Aibou. Why wouldn't I be? I'm perfectly fine-" Yami-chan paused suddenly and stared into the distance.  
  
"Ano…Yami?" Yuugi asked anxiously. Yami-chan shook her head slightly, then turned around again and began walking out the door.  
  
"I'm going out for a bit. Don't worry about me, Aibou!" she called. As soon as she closed the front door, she began running, following that hint of strangely familiar magic she had caught.  
  
Back in Yuugi's room, the others stared after Yami-chan.  
  
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An hour later, Yami-chan was still running, still chasing the wisp of magic that she had sensed. Magic that was familiar, but she couldn't place where she'd sensed it before. She cursed out loud. It had disappeared! She was about to turn around and go home, when she felt some more magic, that was even more familiar than the magic she had felt first. Swiftly, she ran towards the source, which turned out to be a young, black-haired man in Chinese clothes with his hair in a pigtail.  
  
"You! With the pigtail! Stop, please!" she called. The boy was…running on a fence? He stopped and turned around.  
  
"You're talking to me, right?" Yami stopped beside him.  
  
"Who else would I be talking to? I've been running after you for a while." Which was technically true, seeing as it had taken her a while to get near enough to him for him to hear her. Whatever reaction Yami-chan had expected from the pig-tailed boy, panic was not it. Yami-chan blinked as the boy stared at her warily from a safer distance. "What?"  
  
"Are you another fiancée? If you are…sorry about whatever oyaji did, but I had no idea what he was doing, so I can't be engaged to you…er, you're not going to cry or try to kill me, are you? 'Cause…I really am sorry…but…"  
  
"Wait," Yami-chan interrupted, confused. *Another* fiancée? "What are you talking about?"  
  
The boy stared at her. "You *are* another person oyaji engaged me to or someone that wants to kill me, right?"  
  
"Iie…I'm not anybody's fiancée and I don't really want to kill anybody right now, least of all someone I just met…why would you think that?" Yami-chan asked and the boy put a hand behind his head embarrassedly.  
  
"Well, it's just that…it seems like almost everyone I meet either wants to marry me or kill me, or both…so I though…wait, if you were running after me but you aren't trying to kill or marry me, what do you want?"  
  
Yami-chan managed to collect her rather perplexed thoughts. "Oh…I was following you because I sense…something…" she didn't think it would be wise to mention magic right now. "familiar about you, and I wondered what it was…" By now, the boy had cautiously edged up closer to her, and was looking at her curiously.  
  
"My name's Ranma Saotome, I'm the heir to the Saotome School of Indiscriminate Grappling…what's your name? And did you dye your hair?"  
  
Yami-chan smiled slightly at Ranma. "I'm Yami…Mutou. No, I don't dye my hair. And you study martial arts?"  
  
Ranma practically lit up at the mention of martial arts. "Do I! Martial arts is practically my life!"  
  
"So you're good, are you?" Yami-chan asked, intrigued.  
  
"Saotome, prepare to die!" Yami-chan blinked, that didn't sound like Ranma…then her danger sense went off and she jumped to the side, noticing that Ranma had leaped almost ten feet into the air, then there was a rather large hole in the ground where they had been standing a few seconds ago. Odd… Suddenly, a fanged boy wearing a yellow and black bandanna and a large backpack swinging a large green umbrella leaped out of the hole towards Ranma, yelling. Apparently he was the one that had attacked…her eyes widened as she watched Ranma and this new boy do things in mid-air that would have made a five star acrobat look like a novice.  
  
"What's gotten into you this time, Ryoga?" Ranma yelled, dodging yet another attack. "I didn't do nothing!"  
  
Ryoga's eyes narrowed. "You liar! You know what you did, you womanizer! What were you doing with that girl when you have Akane!"  
  
"What the hell do you mean, Ryoga? I wasn't doing anything except talking to her!"  
  
"You lie! You were going to take advantage of her! I know it!" Ryoga sprang towards Ranma, who looked equally eager to fight. Both checked themselves mid-jump when a figure planted itself between them.  
  
Yami-chan folded her arms across her chest (and almost gave Ryoga a nose bleed in the process) and glared imperiously at the two boys. "What the hell is going on here?!" she demanded in a voice that implied instant obedience or a fate worse than death. She turned to Ryoga. "What was that junk about taking advantage of me?! And about Ranma being a womanizer? I just met him but he doesn't seem like a `womanizer' to me, so explain. Now." Ryoga floundered for a way to explain it. Before he made too much of a mess of things, a passing bicycle splashed Ranma and Yami-chan with water.  
  
Ranma-chan looked away as Yami-chan stared at her. "Uh-"  
  
"You've been to Jusenkyo too?" Yami-chan asked disbelievingly. Ranma-chan stared. Ryoga stared also.  
  
"Yeah…why? What spring did you fall into?" Ranma-chan asked curiously.  
  
Yami-chan smiled a bit grimly. "I didn't fall, I was pushed, though, I guess there isn't much difference at the Cursed Springs…I'm a fellow victim of the Nyaniichuan."  
  
Ryoga gaped. "That means you're a guy?!!"  
  
Yami-chan looked at Ryoga. "Congratulations, you figured it out." She looked at Ranma more closely. "Of course! That's why you seemed familiar…I sensed the Jusenkyo magic…and on you too…" she trailed off as Ranma and Ryoga blinked at her. "You can't sense it?" They shook their heads. "Hmm…hey! What was that for?" Yami-chan spluttered as Ryoga grabbed a thermos out of his pack and doused her with hot water.  
  
"You really did go to Jusenkyo…" Ryoga said wonderingly, then winced as Yami hit him on the head, then grabbed the thermos and dumped the rest of the water on Ranma's head.  
  
"Of course I did, you twit. Didn't I tell you that?" he snapped, then sighed as another bicycle rode by and he turned back into a girl. Ranma and Ryoga, who had been standing behind him, were still dry. Ranma looked pityingly at Yami-chan, who was looking slightly depressed. He knew how it felt to be a water magnet.  
  
"Hey, man, it's all right. We can just go to Doctor Tofu's and get you some hot water or something." He said comfortingly, putting a reassuring hand on Yami-chan's shoulder. The gesture was purely platonic of course, but people who hadn't heard the earlier conversation probably wouldn't have thought so. And Ranma's fiancées qualified in that category nicely. Three shrieks of rage, jealously, and wounded pride were all the warning that Ranma and Yami-chan received before a mallet, a giant spatula, and a bonbori imbedded themselves in Ranma's head as Akane, Ukyo, and Shampoo attacked him viciously, ignoring Yami-chan (who had moved away from Ranma very quickly) and Ryoga.  
  
"Ranma no baka! How dare you!"  
  
"Ranchan! You jackass!"  
  
"Airen cheat on Shampoo with other girl!"  
  
"Wait! It's not what you think, Akane! Ucchan, stop! Aiiiiie…" Having punished Ranma properly, the three girls glared at Yami-chan, who blinked confusedly.  
  
"Ano…what's going on here?" she asked, then yelped and frantically dodged the angry blows.  
  
"What do you mean what's going on?! You're trying to steal Ranma! Not that I care," Akane added.  
  
"You're trying to seduce Ranchan!"  
  
"You try take Shampoo's husband! You I kill!"  
  
"WAIT!" Yami-chan screamed. To her relief, the girls stopped, though they were still glaring at her murderously. "I'm not trying to take Ranma away from anybody! He wasn't cheating on, er, all three of you? What *is* going on here?!"  
  
Ranma sighed. "It's kinda confusing, Yami…"  
  
"I'm sure it is," Yami-chan said dryly as Ranma's fiancées growled slightly at the familiar way the two were talking. "but I'm pretty sure it can't top *my* life's story…" she muttered under her breath.  
  
Ukyo stepped forward threateningly. "Ranchan, are you *sure* there's nothing between you and this girl?" she raised her spatula menacingly and Ranma eeped, not looking forward to another pounding.  
  
Yami-chan stepped forward, smirking slightly. "Trust me, there's nothing whatsoever going on between us…" she turned to Ranma. "No offense, but you're not my type…" Ranma paused thoughtfully at the implications in the last statement, but Yami-chan had already started speaking again. "Anybody have any hot water?"  
  
Akane blinked. "Why do you need hot water?"  
  
Yami-chan smiled. "You look like a smart girl, I'm sure you can figure it out…"  
  
"Why don't we all head over to the dojo and we can try to explain this whole thing and get some hot water?" Ranma suggested. Everyone was partial to this idea, so they went to the dojo (Ryoga nearly got lost half a dozen times).  
  
Once at the dojo, Ranma went into the kitchen and came back out, holding the now ever-present boiling kettle of water. Yami-chan took it from him with smiled thanks and poured part of it over her head. The girls gasped (and goggled, after all, Yami *was* wearing leather…).  
  
"You fell in the Nyaniichuan too?" Ukyo asked. Yami nodded.  
  
Shampoo was staring into the distance, a thoughtful look on her face. "Shampoo think girl-type look familiar…aiya! Shampoo remember now! Shampoo see you in village few weeks ago, no? You chase two boys?"  
  
Yami smiled wryly. "If it was near Jusenkyo, you probably did. I was rather upset after I got out of the spring. Anyways, who are you all? The only person whose name I know is Ranma…" Introductions were made accordingly. "Akane Tendo, Ukyo Kuonjii, and Xian Pu of the Amazons…and all three of you claim to be Ranma's fiancées?" Yami asked, an amused smile playing on his lips.  
  
"I don't *claim*, I am Ranchan's fiancée!" Ukyo said hotly.  
  
Shampoo broke in, "No! Airen is Shampoo's rightful husband! No is Spatula-girl's fiancée!"  
  
"I don't care who he marries, but my engagement to Ranma is stronger than all of yours," Akane said.  
  
Yami looked at Ryoga. "And you, Ryoga Hibiki…how fascinating. I'd love to hear your story, Ranma. All of yours, actually. Would you oblige me?" And so, the oddity that was Ranma's life was told, which pretty much included everyone else's life story. Yami was twitching slightly by the time the Nerima group had finished recounting Ranma's tale. "And I thought my Aibou had a tendency to attract trouble…" he mumbled under his breath. Then he noticed that everyone else, having finished their story, was staring at him with predatory grins. He paled slightly. "Ano…can I do anything to help you?" he asked.  
  
Ukyo smiled. "We told you about ourselves, sugar, now you can repay the favor. Spill."  
  
Yami blanched. "Are you sure? It's complicated and-"  
  
"It can't be much more complicated than life now, so tell us already, Yami." Akane interrupted.  
  
Yami sighed, "Oh, all right." And he began his tale. He had gotten up to Jusenkyo when Ranma cut him off.  
  
"Let me get this straight: you're a spirit of a pharaoh of Egypt who was very good at the `Shadow Games` and you're called the King of Games and you were trapped in that Puzzle for three millennia. You were freed when your Aibou, Yuugi Mutou solved the Puzzle and you technically live in the Puzzle but you don't because it's really only your soul that stays in there but if Yuugi takes off the Puzzle you'd be stuck again…and you can do lots of ancient magic, including the Yami no Game that I don't think I want to know more about because it doesn't sound pleasant…and there are more Sennen items out there, all of which can do different things. And you're supposed to protect your Aibou from people with the other Sennen items that want to kill him and/or you? Am I close?" Ranma asked.  
  
Yami sweatdropped. "Pretty close…but I'm not finished yet. There's the small matter of Jusenkyo…and what happened afterwards because of it." He looked down. "But first…I need to tell you all something…I'm…well…I'm…" he broke off and looked resolutely away from everyone.  
  
"Just spit it out already, Yami." Ryoga said impatiently. "It can't be *that* horrible…" At least, not as horrible as what I could tell Akane- san, he finished mentally to himself.  
  
Yami took a deep breath and looked them all full in the face. "I'm gay." There was a moment of silence as everyone else checked their hearing.  
  
Shampoo blinked. "You is happy? That no bad…" There was more silence as everyone else fell down and twitched. Ukyo was the first to sit up.  
  
"Not that definition of `gay,` hon…he meant the homosexual definition…and I don't know why you think it's so bad, sugar. I mean…I posed as a guy for who-knows-how-long: how many guys do you think thought I was gay?" Ranma made a sound that resembled "coughcoughKonatsuandTsubasacoughcough." Ukyo glared at him and whacked him with her battle spatula. "Don't remind me!" she growled at the Ranma shaped pancake on the floor. She turned and smiled brilliantly at Yami. "So what's you being gay got to do with your story, sugar?" Yami sighed and told them what had happened with Seto and Mai.  
  
"And then, I felt a glimpse of magic that seemed familiar, so I followed it. I'm pretty sure it was Jusenkyo magic…and I met Ranma, we talked, then Ryoga showed up…and the rest you pretty much know." He finished and stared down at his hands, which lay folded in his lap, miserably.  
  
Akane smiled at him across the table, even though he couldn't see it. "Don't be sad, Yami-san…I'm sure things will work out between you and this Kaiba person."  
  
Yami looked up at her with tired eyes. "No, Akane, I don't think they will." He stood up gracefully headed towards the door. He paused before the sliding door and turned to face them. "Arigato, minna, for listening…" he turned around and found himself face to face with Kasumi, who was balancing a tray of tea on one hand. He started slightly and Kasumi blinked, then smiled pleasantly at him.  
  
"I do hope you weren't going to leave so soon, lunch is almost ready, after all." She said cheerily.  
  
"Awright!" Ranma cheered happily. Yami opened his mouth to say something about how he needed to be going but Kasumi interrupted him with a sweet smile.  
  
"Nonsense, you're staying to eat something and that's final." She said as she grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the table.  
  
"Ano…I don't eat." Yami said. Everyone stared at him.  
  
"You. Don't. Eat." Ranma said, as though this were the most horrible crime possible (to him it was, unless Akane's cooking was involved). "Why ever not?!"  
  
"I, er, technically don't need to eat." Yami replied. Everyone except Kasumi facefaulted.  
  
"NANIIIIIII?!!"  
  
"You're still going to eat something, I don't care if you don't need to or not." Kasumi said gently but with the slightest hint of steel in her voice.  
  
"I…suppose…" Yami said, and picked up a cup of tea. He looked at the steaming liquid a tad dubiously and sipped it cautiously. A pause while he swallowed and everyone else besides Kasumi held their breath. Yami smiled at Kasumi. "Tastes nice." There was a thud as everyone else hit the ground.  
  
To be continued…  
  
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Saria: And that's all for now, because I need to go to sleep before my mother drags me to bed…-_-; The next few chapters probably won't come as quickly because my vacation's over and that doesn't leave me with a lot of time to write…What pairings would you people like to see? I'm completely open to suggestions. ^^ Leave your preference in a review or drop me a line at kawaiirebel11@yahoo.com Or IM me at BlueNessie01 


	3. Chapter Three

Warnings: Go read the first chapter if you want the general ones. For this chapter, it's mostly just the insanity that comes with the Ranmaverse. Oh, and people being OOC, I'd wager.  
  
Pairings: SetoxYami, Ranma/Akane, and Ryoga/Ukyo. Well, eventually...and there will be Yami-Ukyo friendship, as well as Yami-many people friendship. I'm experimenting with how I think the characters would interact and bounce off each other, if you will. The Amazons won't be making much of an appearance, mostly because I'm afraid that I'll mangle Shampoo's speech patterns. ^_^;;;  
  
Disclaimer: It isn't mine. If you must insist on reminding me of this fact, I will be forced to kill you.  
  
Notes: I haven't updated this story in over half a year. Daaaaaaaang...anyways, I didn't update this story because of pure laziness. ^^;;;; I had the idea pretty much planned out, but I just couldn't find the energy or time to write it. :smiles nervously: But now I have, so all is good. . . And the only thing I can say about Seto is that he's bi or very much in denial. Or both at once.  
  
I adore my reviewers very much, oh yes I dooooooo~! ^_^ Though, I am a bit confused by randomness' statement about Yami following Ranma and the others, seeing as they're going nowhere, except possibly school. Well, I retract that statement; they're going places, but not very far. Besides, by the laws of the Ranmaverse, the Yu-gi-oh group will end up where they are, so there's really no point...and disappear, Mr. Blank-person? O-kay...  
  
And if you're reading this and wish to kill me for not working on "A Red Rose in Winter," (not to mention any names) my explanation is that this idea was clinging to me like superglue and I figured that I should finish this first rather than get stuck on my other story and not post/write at all. So please don't hurt me.  
  
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Just One Little Shove at Jusenkyo... (for the oddest reason, FFN is not letting me put the ellipse for the title ~_~)  
  
By Saria-the-green-haired  
  
~* Chapter Three, in which many things happen that are insane anywhere but the Ranmaverse, where they are perfectly normal (subtitled "Settling In") *~  
  
"Ah, that was delicious. Thanks, Kasumi!" Ranma said, happy and stuffed. Everyone else nodded their agreement, equally stuffed and happy (Ryoga had temporarily misplaced his grudge against Ranma in light of free food). Even Yami had been persuaded by Kasumi's unfailing smile and sweetness, as well as Ukyo's spatula, to eat something, though he had given most of it to Ranma and Ryoga.  
  
"Kasumi-neechan's food is *always* delicious," Akane said proudly, then glared threateningly at Ranma, who looked ready to make a comment about HER cooking. Uneager to have his rather sore head meet Akane's mallet again, Ranma obediently shut his mouth. Kasumi smiled modestly and began clearing away the table.  
  
"Do you need help?" Yami asked, climbing to his feet.  
  
"Oh, that's quite all right," Kasumi began to say, then stopped as the dirty dishes on the table stacked themselves up and floated towards Yami, who sent them into the kitchen with another wave of his hand.  
  
"Wicked!" Ranma exclaimed, being the first to regain control of his mouth. "How did you do that?"  
  
"What useful magic you have!" Shampoo said.  
  
"That would be a handy trick for cleaning up the restaurant," Ukyo murmured to herself as Yami blinked politely at Ranma.  
  
"Magic," the crimson-eyed boy replied confusedly. "How else would I do that- " Yami stopped speaking as he felt Yugi calling out to him. "Excuse me for a moment," he said before re-opening the mental link.  
  
"What?" Ranma said, then noticed that Yami's eyes were unfocused. "O...kay...," he said to himself.  
  
/Yami! I've been trying to reach you for forever! Are you all right?/ Yugi asked as soon as he felt Yami's presence.  
  
//I'm fine, aibou,// Yami replied, and he truly meant it. Odd though these people may seem, they had cheered him up and they weren't bad or anything; they were just...a bit overzealous.  
  
/Where did you run off to? We've all been worried sick!/  
  
//I met some people who have been to Jusenkyo as well, and we've been talking. They're very nice.//  
  
/Oh,/ Yugi said, absorbing this information. /When will you be back?/ he asked.  
  
//I...don't know,// Yami said. //Aibou,// he began hesitantly. //Would it be all right if I stayed here for a few days? It's nothing to do with you or the others, but I just don't want to go back right now...// Because then I might see Kaiba again, he thought to himself. //If you need me, I'll go back, of course,// he added hastily.  
  
/I think it would be okay if the people you met don't mind,/ Yugi said after giving the idea some thought. /But only if you're sure.../  
  
//I'm sure. Thank you, aibou,// Yami whispered.  
  
/Just make sure you feel better, okay? If I sense that you're still moping after a few days, I'm going to come and bring you back!/ Yugi threatened, only half joking.  
  
//Of course,// Yami said, touched by Yugi's concern. Drawing away from the link, he blinked at the hand waving in front of his face. "Yes?" he asked the owner of said hand.  
  
"Are you okay?" Ranma asked. "I mean, you just zoned out back there..."  
  
"Oh, that," Yami said. "I was just talking with my aibou."  
  
"You mean telepathically or something?" Ukyo asked from her seat.  
  
"Something like that, I suppose," Yami answered.  
  
"Cool!" Ranma exclaimed again, impressed. "I wish I could do magic stuff like that!"  
  
"Well, if I'm not mistaken," Yami said, a small smile playing on his lips at Ranma's impressed envy. "Most people would consider some of the physical feats you perform a sort of magic."  
  
"Really?" Ranma looked amazed as he thought about that. "Awesome!" he crowed, starting to bounce around the room, looking smug. "Hear that, Akane?" he asked excitedly. "I can do magic stuff! Well, sorta anyways..."  
  
"And so can the rest of us," Akane replied matter-of-factly.  
  
"Yeah, so don't get too conceited about it, Ranchan," Ukyo said.  
  
Ranma stopped bouncing briefly, but he regained his good spirits quickly enough. "But I'm better at it than all of you!" he said, grinning.  
  
Ryoga begged to differ. "I think NOT, Saotome!" he yelled as the grudge came back full-force.  
  
"But I am!" Ranma said, dodging Ryoga's punches. "What, can't face the truth, piggy?"  
  
"Don't call me that!" Ryoga roared.  
  
"Ranma, don't tease poor Ryoga!" Akane yelled, which was all the warning Ranma received before Akane's mallet came into play. He slammed into Ryoga and both boys went flying towards the koi pond, such was the force of Akane's blow.  
  
"ShitshitshitSHIT!" Ranma and Ryoga thought in unison as they flew towards the pond. Ranma hit the ground on the side of the pond, reached out, and barely managed to catch Ryoga before he hit the water. Both boys let out audible sighs of relief. Yami frowned slightly, wondering just what was so bad about Ryoga getting wet. His curse couldn't be *that* bad, could it?  
  
"Aiya! Airen is so talented!" Shampoo cried happily before glomping Ranma, who promptly lost his balance and his grip on Ryoga as he went staggering backwards. Akane fumed.  
  
"Ack! Shampoo! Get off-" he managed to say before he went tumbling into the pond, Shampoo still attached to him. As Ranma-chan came above the water, her eyes bugged out as she came face-to-face with Shampoo-neko. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she screamed as she began to run around like a headless chicken. "CAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!!!!"  
  
After Shampoo had been inadvertently booted into the stratosphere by a freaked-out Ranma, said aquatranssexual calmed down for all of two seconds before another thought occurred to her. She had dropped Ryoga over the koi pond. Oh SHIT. She turned around, fearing the sight she would see (a raging Akane came to mind), only to find a perfectly dry and human Ryoga standing near the house.  
  
"Ehhhhh? Ryoga! How did you do that?!" the severely confused redhead demanded.  
  
"Do what?" Ryoga replied calmly.  
  
"That! You know! That!" Ranma flailed her arms around as she tried to get her point across without telling Akane just what was so bad about Ryoga getting splashed with cold water. "The...the thing! You know what I mean!"  
  
Ryoga smirked, showing off his fangs. "Magic." Actually, Yami had magically pulled him away from the pond before Ranma and Shampoo fell in, but he wasn't about to tell his greatest rival that.  
  
"Bullshit," Ranma said succinctly, earning him a glare from Akane. "Now tell me!"  
  
Yami, who had been watching the exchange and wondering about Ryoga's curse, frowned and decided to ask the two boys later. Meanwhile, the two boys continued to bicker. Their argument was stopped by two well-placed spatula blows.  
  
"Now then," Ukyo said with a sweet smile as the two boys (well, one boy and a girl) nursed their wounds. "What were you talking about with your aibou, Yami? If you don't mind my asking, of course," she added.  
  
"Just stuff," Yami said, then looked uncertainly at Kasumi and Akane. "Though, I was wondering if...if I could stay here for a few days. I wouldn't be here long and I could help around the house...please?" he asked, eyes pleading.  
  
"Of course you can stay!" Kasumi said cheerily. She wasn't exactly sure as to who this nice young man that had suddenly appeared was, but he was polite and very helpful and he didn't seem to have some of the violent and homicidal tendencies of some of Ranma's other little friends, so he was fine in her book. Not that there was anything wrong with Ranma's other friends, of course, but they destroyed so much property...  
  
"If father and Nabiki-neesan agree, which they should, I don't see why not," Akane said, anger growing inside her towards this "Seto Kaiba" at the lost and broken look on Yami's face, as though he expected them to refuse. "But where would you sleep?" she asked as the thought struck her, hoping that Yami wouldn't say that he didn't sleep.  
  
Yami gave her a blank look. Truth be told, he could sleep pretty much anywhere. Magic worked wonders. "Do you have a couch?" he asked finally.  
  
"Well, you could always crash in the guest room with me and oyaji," Ranma said, still rubbing at the bump on her head.  
  
"So I can stay?" Yami said, smiling hopefully.  
  
"Yes, you twit," Ukyo said affectionately, warming up to this new boy. "As long as you don't start hitting on Ranchan," she added, only half-joking.  
  
Akane and Shampoo nodded their agreement.  
  
Yami laughed and the pain from his rejection was washed away for a brief moment. "Don't worry, you three; Ranma's too bullheaded and piggish for me," he said with a wink and a grin that lit up his face, the grin that had made so many girls in Domino City swoon.  
  
"Hey!" Ranma protested. "I am *not* bullheaded!"  
  
"Of course not," Ryoga said rather scornfully as he settled back into his seat.  
  
"I s'ppose it's better than having no direction sense and being a *pig* though," Ranma remarked innocently.  
  
"Who are you calling a pig?!" Ryoga roared as he sprang at Ranma, who dodged and ran out of the house. And the chase was on. "Get back here, you coward!"  
  
"...this is normal, isn't it?" Yami asked when none of the room's other occupants so much as twitched at this.  
  
"Yep," Ukyo nodded. "We usually wait a few minutes before going out to mop up whoever's still standing."  
  
Yami sweatdropped, shrugged, stood up, and proceeded to follow the two boys (one boy and a girl) at a more sedate pace. Ryoga had managed to catch up to Ranma and the two were fighting, neither gaining the upper hand. Ryoga opened his mouth to deliver a scathing remark about Ranma's manhood when he felt cold water splash over him.  
  
"BWEE!" the little piglet squealed indignantly as he crawled out of his clothes and saw the old lady with the ladle and Ranma laughing her ass off. He launched himself at Ranma, fangs bared, then stopped short when he heard an incredulous voice.  
  
"Ryoga turns into a *pig*?" Yami asked as he approached. "I suppose that makes sense," he added after a moment's thought, recalling Ryoga's reaction to being called a pig by Ranma. "But what-"  
  
"P-chan!" Akane cried happily as she approached, Ukyo and Shampoo following. She scooped the little piglet up and hugged him joyfully, Ranma watching sullenly. "Where did Ryoga go?" Akane asked, still hugging "P- chan."  
  
"What do you mean?" Yami asked, confused. "Ryoga's r-ow!" the crimson-eyed boy glared at his fellow Nyaniichuan victim. "What was that for?!"  
  
"Ryoga's off somewhere," Ranma said quickly, hopping back onto the fence. "Probably got lost again; I didn't see." P-chan frantically nodded agreement to Ranma's statement.  
  
"That makes sense, I suppose," Akane said.  
  
Yami gave Ryoga a look that promised later interrogation (and possible maiming for not telling him about this), then gave Ranma one for good measure.  
  
"Oh!" Ukyo said suddenly. "I need to be getting back to Ucchan's; it's almost time to start getting ready for the dinner rush! Bye, everyone!" the okonomiyaki chef called as she dashed off.  
  
"Aiya! Spatula girl right!" Shampoo exclaimed. "Shampoo must be leaving too, or great-grandmother be getting angry," the purple-haired amazon explained as she too ran off.  
  
"It IS getting rather late," Akane said, checking her watch. "We should be heading back, unless you wanted us to show you around today, Yami?" the youngest Tendo asked.  
  
"Whatever's convenient for you," Yami replied quickly.  
  
"I suppose it could wait until tomorrow...oh, wait! We were supposed to go shopping for our school things tomorrow since school's starting soon," Akane said.  
  
"School things? You don't need anything for school," Ranma cut in.  
  
"Maybe *you* don't, but those of us that pay attention do," Akane replied, mock-glaring.  
  
"How long do you think it will take you" Yami asked curiously, wondering how often they had fights here.  
  
"Not that long, I think," Akane said thoughtfully. "I'm hoping to be done at around lunchtime, so I an grab a bite to eat there, why?"  
  
"Well, if you don't mind, I could go with you and you could show me around after you're done or point out things to me along the way," Yami suggested hesitantly.  
  
"That's a good idea!" Akane said, smiling warmly at Yami. "Besides, I could use better company than this baka here."  
  
"At least I'm not an uncute tomboy!" Ranma retorted, then fell off the fence as Akane's mallet made contact with her face.  
  
Yami wondered again what he had gotten himself into as they pulled Ranma out of the canal and headed back to the dojo.  
  
****************************************************************************  
  
"All right," Yami said some time later, glaring imperiously. "Someone care to explain this to me?" he demanded of the now-human Ryoga, who he had taken from Akane earlier when she went to go get something from the market for Kasumi.  
  
"Explain what?" Ranma, who was male again, asked.  
  
"You. Know. What," the former pharaoh said, giving both of them the Evil eye. "`P-chan`?" he added exasperatedly when they continued to look clueless.  
  
"Oh, *that*," Ryoga said, trying to resist the urge to cower. "It's all Ranma's fault!" he declared finally, sitting upright, then cringed as Yami turned to him.  
  
"And why is that, since your other form is apparently his fiancée's pet?" Yami asked.  
  
"Ranma is not worthy to be called Akane-san's fiancé!" Ryoga said.  
  
"Watch it, piggy," Ranma growled. "And it isn't *my* fault that you hold stupid grudges!"  
  
"Explain. Now," Yami commanded. Immediately, both Ryoga and Ranma began to regale him with their version of the tale. The slender youth marveled inwardly at the discrepancies and the obvious bias.  
  
"You lead a complicated life, Ranma," Yami said once the two finished speaking. "And while it IS partially your fault that Ryoga fell into the spring, seeing as you hit him off the cliff, I don't think it's really fair for Ryoga to blame it all on you since he was the one that followed you there."  
  
"But he ran out on our man-to-man fight!" Ryoga protested.  
  
"He waited for you as long as he could, Ryoga," Yami said patiently, wondering if any of this was penetrating Ryoga's thick skull. "Besides, he swore not to tell Akane about you being her pet, even though she is his fiancée. Isn't that enough?"  
  
"But...but...," Ryoga said, trying to come up with another excuse to hate Ranma. "He treats Akane-san badly! He doesn't deserve her!"  
  
"I'm still in the room, you know," Ranma said at this, glaring slightly.  
  
"Regardless of whether or not he deserves Akane, Ranma is still her fiancé. And I thought we were talking about your grudge against him," Yami said. Ironic that he was trying to talk someone out of their hatred towards their rival when he couldn't even persuade his own rival to not hate him...Yami shook off that thought and the pain it caused. "But if you're going to insist on hating Ranma, could you at least tone down the fights or keep them to a minimum?" Yami asked. "I know it keeps you two in shape, but it also destroys a lot of property."  
  
"Hey, I'm not the one that starts them," Ranma protested, wondering how this kid could watch them for one afternoon and determine why he fought with Ryoga (besides to save his skin, of course). "I'll try to keep 'em less violent if he will."  
  
"Good, now what about you, Ryoga?" Yami asked.  
  
"Fine," Ryoga said, somewhat sulkily. "How about we settle them with arm wrestling matches?" he asked, a wicked gleam in his eyes.  
  
Ranma paled. "That's all right..."  
  
"Afraid to lose?" Ryoga taunted, smirking.  
  
"You wish! You're on!" Ranma said, his pride overcoming him.  
  
Yami sweatdropped as the two proceeded to arm wrestle until Akane returned and Kasumi declared dinner ready.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
Saria: Don't ask. Just don't ask. ^_^;;;;;; And I know the Yu-gi-oh bunch hasn't appeared much, but they will soon, don't worry! I just thought I'd try to balance it between the two shows a bit.  
  
I'd like to thank Takefuji Yami-sama (who may or not be reading this) for the e-mail and finally getting me to finish this. ^^  
  
@|---------- Saria-the-green-haired  
  
(And I must resist the urge to write yet another idea that has latched on to me...~_~) 


	4. Chapter Four

Warnings: Insanity, bastard!Seto, cold water, insanity, hot water, unlikely friendships, insanity, spatulas, school starting (which probably deserves a warning unto itself), insanity, discussion of gender-related things, mallets, insanity, people slapping other people, crossdressing, love issues, and did I mention insanity?  
  
Pairings: The blue-eyed stubborn idiot-wait, there's two of them now. Let's try again. :clears throat: The grudge-holding CEO plus the technically-dead pharaoh, the pigtailed idiot plus the violent sleep-fighter, and the lost homicidal fanged kid (who also holds grudges) plus the spatula-happy crossdressing chef.  
  
Disclaimer: Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side. Ha very ha. And the point of that is to use your common sense: if I bother to put up a disclaimer, it obviously means that I don't own it.  
  
Notes: I don't know what to say, except that you're all probably going to hate Seto after this. Or just whack him upside the head until he gets some common sense.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
Just One Little Shove at Jusenkyo...  
  
By Saria-the-green-haired  
  
~* Chapter Four or the shopping trip and bonding time *~  
  
"Akane-chan, will you please go wake up our guests?" Kasumi asked the next morning. "Breakfast is almost ready."  
  
"Hai, Kasumi-neechan," Akane replied before walking towards the guest room. Sliding the door open silently, she stepped inside and looked at the three sleeping figures inside. It appeared that Ranma and his father were not going to have their customary morning fight. The short-haired girl felt a small smile make its way on her face as she looked down on her fiancé. In sleep, he was relaxed and innocent-looking, nothing like his usual self. Nothing like the rude, boorish, and insensitive womanizer he was, Akane thought irritably. Honestly, who could fall in love with someone like that? I could, part of her whispered before she could crush the thought from her traitorous heart. Maybe I could, she thought, but so can lots of other girls, and they're all so much cuter and more talented than me...what chance do I have?  
  
Banishing the thoughts from her head, Akane turned to their newest guest. He, too, was relaxed and appeared innocent in his sleep, free of the preoccupations that gripped him in his waking life. Akane felt a rush of maternal or sisterly affection at the way in which he was curled up on his side in a loose fetal position, and at the sorrow that still gripped him, even in his dreams. If she ever found this "Seto Kaiba," she would make him pay. Dearly.  
  
Shaking herself from her reverie, Akane knelt beside Yami and placed one hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently. Ruby-red eyes opened almost instantly as Yami tensed involuntarily. Akane felt the muscles under her hand relax slightly as Yami recognized her.  
  
"Is it morning already, Akane?" he asked, sitting up and rubbing his eyes, looking for all the world like a normal teenager who had just gotten up.  
  
"It is," Akane said, marveling at how much easier it was to wake Yami up than the Saotomes. "Breakfast should be ready soon; I was just waking you guys up." Akane walked over to Ranma and looked at his face, looking at the calm features. "I hope Nabiki-neechan didn't scare you too much last night," Akane said, smiling slightly. She had seen the gears turning in Nabiki's head last night as she looked at the newest addition to their family.  
  
"I've met more conniving people," Yami replied. "Though, I must admit that none have been so obsessed with making money; most are obsessed with killing me or taking the Puzzle. And while we're speaking of your family, your father and Ranma's are rather...intent on marrying you and Ranma off, aren't they?" The two males in question had declared it wonderful that Yami had come, saying that Ranma and Akane must have wanted a witness for the wedding that wasn't in the family and that they'd get started on the invitations right away. It had taken quite a lot of talking to persuade them (maiming being Ranma's weapon of choice) that no, they were not planning to get married.  
  
"They are, so it's a pity that Ranma is rather violently opposed to the idea," Akane said quietly, remembering the aborted wedding attempt. Yami glanced at her, noting the carefully concealed sorrow in her eyes and remembering that she had not had to be bribed (much) to participate in the wedding.  
  
"You love him," he stated softly.  
  
Akane started. "I-I guess I do," she replied, equally softly as she wondered how he could have noticed her feelings in just one day. "But he doesn't feel the same way about me."  
  
"Are you sure?" Yami asked, remembering the way Ranma was so protective of her and a glimpse he had caught last night of Ranma looking at Akane last night when he had thought no one else was watching. The love in his eyes had spoken volumes.  
  
"Positive," Akane said. "After all, if he felt the same way, why doesn't he do something about Ukyo and Shampoo?" With that, Akane proceeded to wake Ranma up in the time-honored fashion, i.e. pour cold water on him.  
  
"AUUUUUGH! Akane!" Ranma shrieked, his voice going soprano halfway through the scream. "What was that for?!"  
  
"Breakfast is ready," Akane announced, her eyes shining with mirth. Behind her, Yami snickered to himself at the odd morning ritual.  
  
"Thanks a lot," Ranma grumbled as he unwound himself from the soaking sheets. "Now I hafta get hot water..."  
  
"Well, don't take too long; remember, we have to go shopping today," Akane replied calmly.  
  
"Yeah, yeah..."  
  
"If you don't hurry, your father will finish all the food," Akane added as she and Yami left the room, which was true, as Genma was already gone.  
  
"Wha!"  
  
Yami laughed silently at the blur of movement that ensued.  
  
**************************************************************************** ************  
  
Meanwhile, in another city, a similar scene was playing out.  
  
"Oniisama?" a small, black-haired boy asked hesitantly as he carefully opened the elegant door to his brother's room. "Are you up yet?"  
  
There was no reply from the figure on the ornate bed. Mokuba blinked, as it was not often that he was up before his brother. A grin spread across his face, as he realized that this was a prime time to get back at his beloved older brother for embarrassing him in front of his friends at school.  
  
"ONIISAMAAAA!!!" came the exuberant yell as human cannonball dived onto the bed, bouncing around in a fashion rather similar to that of Ranma and Ryoga fighting indoors.  
  
Seto was Not Pleased. However, he made an attempt to be civil on the behalf of his little brother and told Mokuba to get out before throwing him out of the room and locking the door. For anyone else, there would have been no warning, and he would have been decidedly rougher in throwing them out.  
  
This accomplished, the young billionaire crawled back into bed, ready to sleep some more; it was summer vacation and he was going to spend at least another hour or two making up for lost sleep. His mouth twisted sourly as he remembered what he had lost sleep the night before thinking about. The Game King and his little "masquerade" as a girl. Why did he feel so bad after seeing the hurt expression in those crimson eyes? It wasn't as though he felt anything for the Game King, especially when he was male, even if he was beautiful in both forms (he was allowed to appreciate beauty on an aesthetic level, damnit), with a passion and aura all his own. He felt nothing, even if his rival had looked painfully delicate and fragile for one brief moment, and he'd wanted to take back all his hurtful words, even if he wanted to do something to make him smile. He'd simply been delusional from stress. That was all. He felt nothing for the former pharaoh. Besides, Yami had no right to feel hurt. He'd had no right to let Seto believe that he was a girl (and a cute one at that), nor to lead him on, so he had deserved what he had gotten when Seto had yelled at him. Of course.  
  
Ignoring the logical part of him that said that he hadn't really given the former pharaoh a chance to tell him anything and that Yami *could* have been trying to tell him about being a guy before he'd been splashed and the romantic (to put it simply, lovestruck and severely suppressed) part of him that reminded him that he'd been so drawn to "Ai" because she'd reminded Seto of the only red-eyed duelist in Domino City that he could never beat, Seto went back to sleep.  
  
**************************************************************************** ************  
  
"And that's our high school, and down that way are some more houses...," Akane said, waving a hand in the general direction of said houses.  
  
"How much longer until we get to the mall?" Ranma whined, getting impatient with this little sight-seeing tour. Nerima was boring! They must have been through half the town already without seeing something that he considered interesting. Granted, with Ranma, this usually meant a challenger or food...  
  
"Approximately two minutes less than when you last asked," Akane retorted, then noticed Yami's glazed expression (he looked as though he was trying to memorize where everything was) and decided to take pity on him. "It's not that much further now. And over there is the Nekohaten, which is where Shampoo and the other Amazons work, and this is Ucchan's...odd, it seems to be closed."  
  
"I wonder if anything's wrong with Ucchan," Ranma wondered. "Oh, look, there she is! Hiya, Ucchan!"  
  
"Hey, Ranchan!" Ukyo called back as she approached them. "Ohayo, Akane- chan, Yami," she said, nodding politely at her sometimes rival sometimes friend and smiling at the confused-looking former pharaoh. "Where are you three off to?"  
  
"I'm showing Yami around town while we head towards the mall to get our school supplies," Akane explained. She didn't mind Ukyo (Akane rather liked her, in fact) until the other girl started flirting with Ranma.  
  
"Wow! What a coincidence! I was just going to do the same, so I closed up the restaurant and gave Konatsu the day off," Ukyo exclaimed. "Would you mind if I joined you?"  
  
"If you're a better tour guide than Akane, go right ahead," Yami said, then smiled disarmingly at Akane as she scowled slightly at him. "No offense, Akane, but I don't need to know where everyone's house is..."  
  
Akane looked contrite, then smacked Ranma when he laughed.  
  
The trio, having acquired another member, set off for the mall and arrived with no other mishaps.  
  
**************************************************************************** ************  
  
"Hey, look! You two should get those!" Akane exclaimed, pointing.  
  
"Akane, I am NOT buying a bracelet that says `boy` on it," Yami said firmly.  
  
"Me neither!" Ranma said, insulted at this jibe to his manliness.  
  
"Besides, what would it be for?" Yami asked, whilst Ukyo looked on amusedly.  
  
"In case someone mistakes you two for girls?" Akane asked innocently.  
  
"Ha very ha," Yami replied flatly.  
  
"Well," Ranma said, taking this opportunity to get back at the other boy for not helping him earlier that morning. "I know *I* don't need one, but with the way Yami acts sometimes and his preferences, maybe he needs one. And Ucchan should get one that says `girl.` Hey, ya know what? You two would be the funniest couple ever," Ranma grinned. "Ya know, since Ucchan dresses up as a guy and Yami can turn into a girl an' stuff."  
  
*CLANGWHAMCRASHCRACK*  
  
"You know, I think we're a bad influence on you," Ukyo remarked casually to Yami after she had peeled her spatula off of Ranma's head, which was buried in the wall (along with the rest of Ranma), courtesy of Yami.  
  
"Probably, but he deserved it," Yami replied calmly. "Now then, which stores did you want to go to, Akane?"  
  
**************************************************************************** ************  
  
Later that day as they headed home, Yami walked slightly behind the three and watched them, deep in thought. Ukyo was, yet again, not-quite hanging off Ranma's arm and Akane was, yet again, fuming silently. Ranma was completely oblivious. Time to diffuse the situation before it turned explosive.  
  
"Ne, Ukyo, could I talk to you for a bit and see your restaurant and stuff?" Yami asked as they approached Ucchan's, tugging on Ukyo's arm. He gave a small inward sigh and wondered why he was being matchmaker when his own love life was completely nonexistent. "You two go ahead," he said, waving at Ranma and Akane. "I think I'll be able to find my way back thanks to Akane's tour," he added, grinning.  
  
"Okay...," the two said before setting off, Ukyo and Yami watching them go.  
  
"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Ukyo asked.  
  
"You can't keep chasing Ranma," Yami said firmly. "He doesn't love you."  
  
Ukyo stared at Yami, aghast. "What are you talking about? Ranchan loves me, I know he does!"  
  
Yami sighed a little as he noticed Ukyo beginning to get angry. "Let me rephrase that: Ranma does love you. But not in the way you want. He loves you as a sister; it's Akane he loves as his fiancée."  
  
"You're lying!" Ukyo cried.  
  
"Am I?" Yami asked simply, turning to look at Ranma and Akane, who were almost out of sight. Ukyo turned to watch as well, and as she did so, she saw a sight that made her heart ache.  
  
Akane and Ranma were walking next to each other, and they appeared to be talking quietly. At first glance, they merely looked like friends, but upon closer observation, it was plain that they had more than a platonic interest in each other. Then, suddenly, Ranma reached over and took the various shopping bags from Akane without a word, looking sheepishly away. It was a small gesture, but Ukyo knew that from Ranma, it was the greatest act of all. She was tired: too tired to think, too tired to be angry at Yami or Ranma, too tired to do anything but try to suppress the tears.  
  
Yami gently led the brown-haired girl into her darkened restaurant and felt a pang of sadness as he saw her shining eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he steered her into a chair. "I didn't mean to hurt you like that, but I had to make you see, because it would have hurt more if you had found out later. I'm sorry, but I didn't want you to continue deluding yourself, because you were grasping onto a thin strand of hope, a hallucination."  
  
Ukyo looked up at that, her face streaked with tears, as she heard the unspoken "like I did" at the end of the sentence. "I know, and I don't blame you...much. But if he loves Akane-chan, why didn't he do something? Anything? Why didn't he tell someone? Because I know that Akane-chan sure as hell doesn't know," Ukyo said bitterly. Which is why I thought I had a chance, she added silently to herself.  
  
Yami frowned slightly, thinking about it for a while before answering. "I think that Ranma didn't say anything because, first of all, he didn't know how. Ranma may be a great martial artist, but he's socially inept, especially around girls. He's not as bad as Ryoga, but he's almost. I think that he just didn't know how to say it. And that brings me to my second point; he didn't tell you or anyone else because he didn't want to hurt anybody, but you most of all. Ranma loves you dearly, but only as a sister, and he knew that finding out about his feelings would hurt you, so he avoided the subject entirely. Ranma's greatest weakness aside from Akane is a crying girl, especially one he knows. So it isn't really Ranma's fault either."  
  
"I guess...," Ukyo said quietly, her voice tinged with sadness. "Does that mean I can't hit him for being such an idiot?" she asked after a while.  
  
Yami began to laugh. "Go right ahead if you want," he managed to say, still laughing. "But really, Ukyo," he said once he had calmed down. "Don't stay hung up on this too long, will you? Because Ranma doesn't deserve your love, really. Your devotion is rather remarkable, but it isn't wise to cling to unrequited love, which makes me a bit of a hypocrite, I know," he said with a self-depreciating smile that made Ukyo's heart ache as she saw all the pain he was going through. She drew him into a careful hug and watched as the dams broke and her tears mingled with his own as they streamed down his face.  
  
"Feeling better?" she asked when they had both stopped crying, as much for her benefit as for his.  
  
"Yeah...," Yami said, smiling weakly. "Sorry I'm so bad at comforting; I normally only comfort my aibou, and we're connected by a link and..," here he trailed off, waving vaguely with one hand.  
  
"And he's never gone through what you have," Ukyo finished for him. "Don't worry about it; you did fine. I feel a lot better now. But...what do I do now?" she asked, suddenly frightened. "Ranma's been my whole world, and now, now...I don't know what to do."  
  
Yami turned his head to look up at her, large red eyes understanding and thoughtful. Being the pharaoh had been a part of his life for so long that he hadn't known how to act when he was first freed from the Puzzle. "The best thing you can do," he said finally. "Is to find things that you like to do, or things that make you happy. Or you can find something else you want to do in life, like a career goal. Though, I suppose you could always find someone else to chase after."  
  
"Yes, there are always other fish in the sea," Ukyo said, agreeing. "And most of them probably aren't arrogant jackasses," she said with a small smile. It wouldn't stop hurting for a while, she knew, but she would get over it.  
  
Both jumped, startled, as the moment was broken by pounding at the front doors. Yami jumped off of Ukyo's lap (noticing again that he was the shortest of the group) and ran to the door, wondering who it was that would knock on the door of an obviously closed restaurant.  
  
"Thank God; you're still open," Ryoga said as he staggered inside, looking dead on his feet. Yami blinked as the Lost boy walked right past him and collapsed in front of the grill. "Foooooood...,"  
  
"Ryoga-honey, are you all right?" Ukyo asked as she started up the grill. Yami closed the door and walked back to the grill.  
  
"'M...okay...," Ryoga said, staring, transfixed, at the okonomiyaki that Ukyo was making.  
  
Ukyo laughed, noticing his gaze. "It's all yours, sugar!" she called as she flipped it onto his plate.  
  
"Thankyouthankyouthankyouuuuuuu...," Ryoga offered his profuse gratitude as he began devouring the okonomiyaki.  
  
"Where did you go, Ryoga?" Yami asked, seating himself next to the eternally lost boy. "We were all worried about you when you disappeared last night."  
  
Ryoga shrugged slightly as he continued to eat. He was pretty cute, Ukyo reflected, looking at the Lost boy. Sure, he had his faults and he was totally hung up on Akane, but hadn't there been a rumor about some Akari girl? Well, she could first get to know him better and then decide what she wanted to do. Besides, the poor boy needed a decent supply of food for when he got lost. That decided, she looked at Yami, who was watching her and Ryoga amusedly, and smiled.  
  
"Well, I should probably be heading back before Kasumi gets too worried," Yami said nonchalantly, standing up. "Bye, you two," he said, flashing a grin at Ukyo and the obliviously eating Ryoga as he headed out the door.  
  
"Yami!" Ukyo called out before she could stop herself. "You know, you could always stay here if you want to," she offered. "It gets lonely sometimes, and I'd like someone to talk to." Especially someone who understands, she added silently. Then, remembering Yami's apparent unwillingness to take charity, she added. "And if you insist, you could help with waiting on people."  
  
The crimson-eyed boy turned to her and smiled. "That would be great, Ukyo, but I'd have to discuss it with the others first. Thanks for the offer," he said, walking out the door.  
  
Ukyo turned back to Ryoga, who was finishing up his okonomiyaki. "So, sugar," she said, making another one. "How's life been treating you?"  
  
**************************************************************************** ************  
  
"How was your talk with Ukyo?" Akane asked when Yami had returned.  
  
"It was very helpful," Yami replied. "We have a lot in common."  
  
Ranma, perhaps wisely (he was still smarting about the incident in the mall), did not comment on that. "I can't believe school is starting tomorrow...," he wailed.  
  
"It's not like you do anything at school besides destroy property," Akane said.  
  
Ranma sulked whilst Yami snickered.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
Saria: I have nothing to say about this chapter, except that I was going to add more plot-related stuff, but it turned out pretty big without it, so I decided to leave it until next chapter. The Yu-gi-oh gang shows up next chapter, I promise.  
  
@|-------- Saria-the-green-haired 


	5. Chapter Five

Warnings: I have nothing witty to say, therefore, I shall not say it. But you should know the warnings by now.  
  
Pairings: SetoxYami, Ranma/Akane, and hints of developing Ryoga/Ukyo (but it won't be a main focus).  
  
Disclaimer: It's not mine. What more can I say?  
  
Notes: Yami and Ukyo will never be a couple, romantically anyways, contrary to what it might seem like. And yes, the Ranma gang gets to meet the Yu-gi- oh group in this chapter (not all at the same time, however). And I love Seto. Really, I do. And I suck at poker, so keep that in mind.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
Just One Little Shove at Jusenkyo...  
  
By Saria-the-green-haired  
  
~* Chapter Five: We're off to see the wizard-wait, wrong word...oh well. *~  
  
"A FAIR? That's so *boring*!" Ranma wailed. "I can't believe we have to go to a fair and work there!" The fair in question was a collaboration of various high schools in the area (it was beyond anyone as to who would work with the principal of Furinkan High School), and it would be open to anyone who wished to come.  
  
"We do, so stop whining and stop trying to distract the rest of us from the game," Akane said, somewhat irritably. "It's your turn, anyways. Draw a card."  
  
"Not that it'll do him any good," Ukyo quipped as Ranma gave a much put- upon sigh and picked up a card. "Ranchan seems to be bad at every type of card game possible."  
  
Ranma glared. "Shaddap; I'm not THAT bad...and I raise one cookie."  
  
Yami smiled serenely at the rest of the group. "I see you and raise you six cookies."  
  
Ukyo paused, thinking about Yami's smile and what it probably meant. "...I fold," she said, laying her cards down.  
  
Akane was soon to follow. "I fold too," she said with a sigh.  
  
Ranma was not to be so easily defeated. "I raise two cookies."  
  
Yami continued to smile as he looked at his cards. "I raise five cookies."  
  
"I don't believe you have that great a hand; show me your cards!" Ranma demanded, laying his own down. "Can you beat a full house?"  
  
Yami was the picture of innocence. "Oh, I don't know if I can...but I think this hand can," he said, laying his hand down.  
  
"Another royal flush?!! How the hell did you do that again?!" Ranma asked disbelievingly.  
  
"I'm called the King of Games for a reason, you know," Yami said, smirking.  
  
"Well, at least it's better than that time when he bluffed his way into winning with a two, a jack, an eight, a six, and a three...," Akane said, sweatdropping.  
  
"This is fun! Let's play again," Yami said with a smile as he swept his winnings towards his rather large pile.  
  
"At least we're not playing for money," Ukyo said in an undertone to Akane, who nodded.  
  
After the game, Ukyo and Akane started talking about the fair and what booths they were going to work. Ranma glanced at the two girls, making sure that they weren't listening, then turned to Yami.  
  
"You're coming to the fair, right?" he asked.  
  
"Of course," Yami replied. "What about it?"  
  
"Well," Ranma said, fidgeting slightly. "Will you come with me in your girl form? Not as a date, and Akane'll be with us, but 'cause I don't want anyone to think that, you know...'cause Kasumi and Nabiki'll probably come too, so I guess you don't really need to come, but..."  
  
"You don't want anyone to know that you and Akane are getting closer?" Yami asked. "You're pathetic, Ranma, but I suppose I will, and I can protect Kasumi and Nabiki if anyone comes after you."  
  
"Thanks, man!" Ranma said, ignoring Yami's not-so-subtle insult.  
  
"You owe me big though," Yami warned.  
  
"Okay, okay..."  
  
**************************************************************************** ******  
  
"Where's Yami? I haven't seen him since that day when, you know...," Jounochi asked Yugi.  
  
"Oh, he's off somewhere. He made some new friends," Yugi said vaguely.  
  
"Shouldn't you get him to come back?" Anzu asked.  
  
"I don't think I should," Yugi answered. "He's really happy there; I can feel it. Those people are truly helping him, and if I made him come back, he'd just become even sadder."  
  
"I suppose," Anzu sighed. "Oh, what booth are you doing for the fair, Yugi?"  
  
"Do you know who's doing the kissing booth?" Jounochi asked, interrupting their conversation. "'Cause if the girl's pretty, I think I'm gonna head over there after my shift's over...," he said, grinning widely.  
  
"Pervert," Anzu said, kicking him in the shins.  
  
**************************************************************************** ******  
  
"Wow, Yami! You look great!" Akane enthused, seeing the green-haired girl.  
  
"You're wearing a yukata!" Ranma crowed, then winced as Yami punched him.  
  
"Shut up," the other aquatranssexual ground out, teeth clenched.  
  
"It looks so cute though! It almost makes me wish we didn't have to wear our school uniforms," Akane said. "Oh look, it's Ukyo!"  
  
"Hey, guys!" Ukyo greeted as she joined the group, looking like a very handsome (if somewhat pretty) boy.  
  
"Is the yukata Yami's wearing an old one of yours?" Akane asked. "It looks great!"  
  
"Yeah, it is, and you wouldn't *believe* how hard it was to get her to wear it," Ukyo griped.  
  
Yami stuck his tongue out at his new roommate before resuming his sulking, then sulking more because he looked cute whilst doing it. The red-eyed girl despised the fact that she was a girl, but she hated it even more that she was a *cute* one. She didn't do "cute;" it went against her very nature. She looked up as Ranma, with a slightly panicked look on his face, approached her.  
  
"Why is Ucchan here?" he hissed.  
  
Yami grinned to herself. Ukyo was no threat to Ranma and Akane's relationship anymore, but Ranma didn't know that, and Yami and Ukyo had no intentions of telling him that. "I thought it'd be fun if Ucchan came along," she said, smiling innocently. Sure, it sucked to be cute, but it definitely worked to her advantage sometimes. Except for when it gained the attention of the males within thirty feet of her.  
  
"Are we going to stand here all night talking?" Nabiki complained. "I want to see the fair! Besides, doesn't your shift start soon, Akane-chan?"  
  
"You're right, it does!" Akane cried, running towards her booth. "We'll meet by the Ferris wheel when we're all done, okay?" she called, dragging Nabiki with her.  
  
Ranma headed towards his booth, grumbling all the way. Ukyo and Yami exchanged a laugh before Ukyo went to her booth, Yami sticking around because she had nothing better to do.  
  
**************************************************************************** ******  
  
"You *would* sign up for the food booth," Yami remarked amusedly, near the end of Ukyo's shift.  
  
"Well, naturally," Ukyo replied, flipping an okonomiyaki onto a waiting plate.  
  
"You're really good," the green-haired girl commented, watching interestedly as Ukyo began making another one, scarcely looking at her hands or the grill.  
  
Ukyo shrugged. "I had a lot of practice."  
  
"But you never burn yourself or anything..."  
  
"It's not that hard," Ukyo said. "Want to try?" Without waiting for a reply, she handed Yami one of her smaller cooking spatulas and motioned her over to the grill. "You add this and this..."  
  
"How do you flip it?" Yami asked, trying to flip the okonomiyaki (failing miserably) and smiling sheepishly at the people waiting at the booth.  
  
"You do it like this; here," Ukyo said, taking Yami's right hand in her own and demonstrating.  
  
"Oh! I get it!" Yami said, grinning at Ukyo, who smiled back. "Thanks!" Both seemed unaware of the fact that Ukyo looked like a guy and Yami a girl at the moment, and that they were standing and acting in a very compromising way.  
  
"Do you get it now?" Ukyo asked, releasing Yami's hand and going back to the okonomiyaki she was cooking.  
  
"Yeah...," Yami said absently, then blinked as a shadow fell across the grill. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait in line," she said, not looking up.  
  
"Yami?" a very familiar voice asked, and Yami froze. She looked up slowly and came face-to-face with Seto Kaiba.  
  
**************************************************************************** ******  
  
"I'm booooooored," Ranma whined. "How much longer is it?"  
  
"I'm almost done with my shift, so stop complaining," Akane said testily.  
  
Ranma pouted briefly. "I wonder how Ucchan's doing..."  
  
"Ranma, shut. Up."  
  
**************************************************************************** ******  
  
"K-Kaiba...," Yami squeaked, eyes wide. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"What are YOU doing here?" Seto retorted, then noticed their audience. "Let's go somewhere else," he muttered, grabbing Yami by the upper arm and dragging her off. Yami squeaked again, but offered no protest. Ukyo mentally cursed the fact that her shift wasn't over for another ten minutes and watched the two from a distance, her hands working on autopilot.  
  
"Kaiba, what...?" Yami asked weakly as Seto pulled her into a fairly deserted looking grove of trees on the edge of the fairgrounds, though it was still near Ukyo's booth.  
  
"Why are you here?" Seto asked, backing her up against a tree trunk.  
  
Yami mumbled an answer that was most likely incoherent as she looked at her sandals.  
  
Seto tilted her chin up, forcing her to look at him, and placed his face close to hers "I asked you what you were doing here," he practically growled, ignoring the sudden urge to kiss Yami. "Answer me."  
  
"What do you care?" Yami asked as she pulled away, then flushed slightly at her audacity.  
  
"I like to know the reason's for my opponent's reactions," Seto said casually, after a moment's thought.  
  
"Your...opponent?" Yami asked.  
  
"Of course, seeing as that's all you are to me," Seto said calmly.  
  
"Of course...," Yami said, trying to stop the tears in her eyes. Damn female body was so emotional.  
  
"I'll ask you one more time," Seto said, more threateningly. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"I'm here with my new friends," Yami said, looking anywhere but at Seto.  
  
"Your new friends?" Seto asked. "You mean like that boy you were standing next to? I see...so, are you leading any of your new friends on? Letting them believe you're something you're not? You were getting awfully cozy with that cook friend of yours...told him you're not a girl yet? I doubt he'll figure it out on his own; he doesn't look too bright-" Seto reeled as Yami's hand impacted with his cheek.  
  
"Don't you DARE insult my friends," Yami snarled venomously. "Especially Ucchan. You can insult me all you like, but I won't let you insult my friends." With that, she spun on her heel and walked back towards the booth, trembling with anger. Once she was there, Ukyo (now done with her shift) enfolded her in a hug, muttering comforting words and obscenities about Seto under her breath.  
  
"Why didn't you punch him?"  
  
"I figured that a handprint on his face is more noticeable than a black eye; after all, there are sunglasses that can be bought here..."  
  
**************************************************************************** ******  
  
Seto stood, frozen, dimly feeling the pain in his cheek. He was vaguely aware that he had been being an asshole and that he shouldn't have gone over to talk to the Game King anyways, but he'd acted before he had thought. And then he had remembered the rush of anger (or was it jealousy? No, it couldn't be) he had felt at seeing Yami and that other boy standing so close together. But then, he didn't care about Yami, so why was he so upset about it? It was just the shock of seeing her-no, him, at the fair. That was it, Seto decided as he walked back to the fair.  
  
Distantly, he noticed that his hands were shaking.  
  
**************************************************************************** ******  
  
"You all right?" Ukyo asked as they walked back to the Ferris wheel.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," Yami said carefully, then blinked as a spiky-haired bullet attached itself to her.  
  
"Yami!" Yugi cried happily as he continued to cling to his guardian.  
  
"Aibou?" Yami asked faintly, then realized that Yugi's school must be involved in the fair. Why hadn't she thought of that before? Damn.  
  
"Hey, Yami," Jounochi said quietly, hands in his pockets as he stood to the side, watching the two. Yami smiled at the taller boy, then jumped as Anzu appeared at her side.  
  
"Yami! We were so worried about you!" Anzu joined Yugi in the frantic babbling and mother hen-ing.  
  
"I'm fine; don't worry about it," Yami repeated, wishing that they would stop, as she was getting a major headache.  
  
"But I felt that you were really upset a few minutes ago!" Yugi said, eyes wide.  
  
"It's nothing," Yami said. "Besides, I feel better now that you're here," she continued, smiling warmly at her lighter half. Yugi's steady wave of reassurance and worry did indeed feel good.  
  
"Hey, who're you?" Jounochi asked suddenly, looking at Ukyo.  
  
"What's it to you?" Ukyo replied, shifting slightly into a battle stance, something that neither Jounochi nor Yami missed.  
  
"You guys, this is Ukyo; Ucchan, my friends. That's Jounochi, Anzu, and this is Yugi, my aibou," Yami said quickly, hoping to defuse the situation. No one commented on Yami's familiar way of addressing Ukyo.  
  
"Oh," Jounochi neutrally, still watching Ukyo carefully. Yami sighed inwardly as the two regarded each other warily, then yelped and dodged, pulling Yugi with her, as her danger sense tingled.  
  
Ukyo looked at the figure that whizzed past the pair and skidded on the ground. "Hi, Ranchan," she said calmly.  
  
"Oh, it's you. Hi," Yami said, getting over her surprise.  
  
Ranma mumbled something that may or may not have been a greeting, as he was communing with nature.  
  
Akane stomped towards the group, scowling. "Ranma no baka," she muttered venomously as she joined them. Jounochi, Anzu, and Yugi blinked at her, then at Ranma, then back at her again.  
  
"That's Akane and this is Ranma, you guys. Ranma, Akane; Jounochi, Anzu, and Yugi," Yami said.  
  
Akane bowed politely. "Nice to meet you all," she said.  
  
Ranma mumbled another maybe-greeting. Ukyo hauled him to his feet.  
  
"Honestly, Ranchan," she rebuked. "You have got to stop sticking your foot in your mouth. How was your shift, Akane-chan?"  
  
"It was fine," Akane said. "But it would have been better if I didn't have a certain baka asking me how long it was until my shift was over every two seconds! How was yours, Ukyo?"  
  
"You need to work on your patience too, Ranchan," Ukyo added. "But my shift was all right," she answered, glancing at Yami.  
  
"Ucchan taught me how to cook okonomiyaki," the green-haired girl said excitedly. Ukyo glared.  
  
"Okonomiyaki?" Jounochi asked, mouth watering.  
  
Ukyo laughed. "He reminds me of you, Ranchan," she said to the pigtailed figure next to her.  
  
"Yeah," Yami said dryly. "Mention food and they fixate immediately. They're ruled by their stomachs."  
  
"HEY~!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
Saria: Let's all go beat some sense into Seto, shall we? And give Yami a hug; you know you want to. Anyways, it's the last day of school before winter break, so the next chapter may or may not be coming out soon; I don't know.  
  
@}----------- Saria-the-green-haired. 


	6. Chapter Six

Warnings: Must say something suitably witty and amusing here...screw it. For the warnings, look at the previous chapters.  
  
Pairings: If you don't know these by now, what rock have you been hiding under?  
  
Disclaimer: It isn't mine, now go away and let me sulk in peace.  
  
Notes: I would like to state that I have fallen head-over-heels in love. With my flute teacher's piccolo. It's so cuuuuuute~! :huggles: I'm also quite pleased about that fact that my sister is ready to kill me because I keep playing it. =^^= And I've been playing Animal Crossing for pretty much the whole day, 'cause it's rather addicting and very adorable. ^_^ Though, I'm getting all the hideous outfits...oh well. And did everyone enjoy bastard!Seto? Because I sure enjoyed writing it. ^_^;;;;; He's becoming less bastard-ish in this chapter, though he's still somewhat of an asshole, because that's in his personality and I can't really change that. Much, anyways. And I am now toying with the idea of Seto being completely wrapped around Mokuba's little finger, or I will be, anyways. It's very fun, I must say. ^_^  
  
Shamanic Guardian Lena: Updating-ness is good. ^_^;;; Persistent story ideas are not. :prods the fluff fic:  
  
Shade Azuna: =^^= =^^= =^^= =^^=  
  
Lady SapphireStar: Chaos? Most definitely. =)  
  
Sharem: Working on the updating soon part...  
  
And Seto is insane, so I take no responsibility for his thought processes.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
Just One Little Shove at Jusenkyo...  
  
By Saria-the-green-haired  
  
~* Chapter Six: No, you all can NOT beat up Seto... *~  
  
"Yami? Wake up," Ukyo said, gently shaking the spiky-haired boy's shoulder. It had been a week since the fair, and everyone was still walking on tenterhooks around the Game King.  
  
Yami made a rather rude gesture in her direction before rolling over and going back to sleep. At least he wasn't moping anymore, Ukyo thought wryly.  
  
"Yami, get up!"  
  
"Don' wanna...," Yami mumbled. The bed was nice and warm and he'd just gotten really comfortable. He heard Ukyo sigh and felt her weight leave the bed, then he heard footsteps walking away. Good, she'd left, he thought as he closed his eyes. Two seconds later, he realized his mistake as he was drenched in ice-cold water. "UCCHAN!" the dripping wet girl screamed. "You're DEAD!"  
  
Ukyo simply laughed as she raced down the stairs, Yami hot on her heels.  
  
Growling, Yami began carefully preparing a small bolt of magic. Just as she was about to release it, a pair of arms that did NOT belong to Ukyo scooped her up and dumped her in a chair.  
  
"I see someone's a little touchy this morning," Ranma said, smirking.  
  
Yami glared, then tossed her head and flicked her dripping wet hair at him.  
  
"Hey!" Ranma protested as he was drenched. "I hate you," the redhead grumbled.  
  
"Blame Ucchan," Yami said calmly, wringing out her clothes. "Why are you and Akane here anyways?" she asked.  
  
"We're going on a trip!" Akane and Ukyo announced, smiling at the two boys.  
  
"...a trip where?" Yami asked warily.  
  
"It's a surprise," Ukyo said, grinning.  
  
The two aquatranssexuals looked at each other.  
  
"Oh goodie," Ranma said.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
"We're at the beach," Ranma said flatly once they'd arrived at their destination.  
  
"Yep!" Ukyo said chirpily.  
  
"The beach, which is near the ocean," Yami added in the same tone of voice.  
  
"Hai!" Akane said.  
  
"Which is full of cold water," Yami deadpanned.  
  
"Um...yeah," Ukyo said.  
  
Yami grabbed Ranma by the pigtail. "We're leaving," she announced. "I refuse to stay anywhere for prolonged periods of time as a girl, especially if I'll probably turn right back into one even if I get hot water."  
  
"I thought you'd like being a girl-" Ranma muttered, then ate sand. "Okay okay, I'm sorry..."  
  
"Anyways," Ukyo said. "If you two wait until we heat up some water, then we'll give you this," she said, holding up two bars of soap.  
  
"Why would we want soap?" Yami asked, looking at the two girls (that were supposed to be girls) doubtfully.  
  
"Is that waterproof soap?!" Ranma cried happily, jumping up. "It is~! Yaaaaay!" the pigtailed girl cheered as she danced around happily.  
  
"Waterproof soap?" Yami repeated incredulously. "What does that do?"  
  
"It keeps us from changing with cold water," Ranma explained, still grinning.  
  
Yami blinked, looking at the soap. "Oh, well, I guess we'll go then."  
  
"Did you think you'd have a choice?" Ukyo said, dragging Yami off while Akane did the same to Ranma.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
"I love waterproof soap," Ranma declared later, all but worshipping the aforementioned soap.  
  
Yami nodded fervently before claiming one of the beach chairs.  
  
"Come on! Let's go swimming!" Ukyo called from the beach, the waves lapping gently at her feet.  
  
"Yeah!" Akane agreed, running towards Ukyo.  
  
"You sure you wanna try, Akane?" Ranma said, heading towards the two girls.  
  
"What do you mean, Ranma?" Akane asked as she turned around, glaring belligerently. "Are you saying that I can't swim?"  
  
"Uhhhh...," Ranma hesitated as he foresaw Akane's mallet on the horizon. "MaybeyoushouldaskUcchantohelpyou" he spat out before retreating to the relative safety of their pile of blankets and things. "You wanna go swimming, Yami?" he asked.  
  
"No, that's all right," Yami said as he laid down on one of the beach towels, having removed his shirt. "I think I'll stay here for a while...I might go swimming later."  
  
"You sure?" Ranma asked.  
  
"Yeah; go on," Yami said, closing his eyes.  
  
"Okay...," Ranma said doubtfully as he headed towards the water after removing his shirt as well. Yami watched the three swim and play lazily, soaking up the sunlight. He turned over, stretching out on his stomach, reveling in the feel of the sun on his back. He missed the sand and the sun, and even though this wasn't quite his homeland, it was close enough. Slowly, his eyes drifted closed as he soaked in the sun's rays.  
  
"Yami looks really peaceful like that, doesn't he?" Ukyo asked during a brief lull in their water fight, looking over at the sand.  
  
"Yeah," Akane concurred.  
  
"He looks boring," Ranma stated succinctly. "I'm gonna go spice things up," the pigtailed boy announced, moving purposefully towards Yami.  
  
"Just don't get yourself killed, Ranchan," Ukyo said.  
  
Yami was dreaming about one of his fonder memories of his past life when, all of a sudden, he found himself lifted into the air. "What the-?" he asked, then looked at his captor. "Ranma! What are you doing?!" he demanded.  
  
Ranma smirked. "Making you have fun," he said, walking towards the glittering waves. Yami was really light, Ranma reflected, even in his taller male form.  
  
Yami was rather violently opposed to this idea, but, unfortunately, he couldn't use magic in a crowded place like this. "Ranma! Put me down!" he yelled, pounding on the taller boy's back. "NOW! Ranmaaaa! ...you wouldn't," he said as they approached the ocean.  
  
"Wouldn't I?" Ranma said, his smirk widening as he easily threw the smaller boy into the ocean. Akane and Ukyo watched in horrified amusement as Yami surfaced, spluttering.  
  
"Ranma, you're dead," Akane said, noticing the glint in Yami's eyes.  
  
"Nah, he can't do anything to me," Ranma said unworriedly, then blinked in surprise as he was buried under a mountain of sand. "Hey!"  
  
Yami smiled smugly as he walked towards Ranma. "Having fun?"  
  
"Get back here, you little-" Ranma cried, bursting out of his cage of sand, racing after Yami. "You got sand in my shorts!"  
  
Yami merely laughed as he stayed out of Ranma's reach. "You'll have to be faster if you want to catch me!" he called, looking back.  
  
Ranma flipped him off before speeding up.  
  
"You're too slow, Ranma!" Yami shouted, still looking back. He faced forward again, and there was no time to react before he tripped over a seated figure, sending them both sprawling, rolling around in the sand. Yami shut his eyes as sand flew up around them. "Ow...," he muttered when they had stopped moving, then realized that he was on top of whoever he had crashed into, and they had an arm wrapped loosely around his waist, no doubt from their little tumble on the beach. "I'm sorr-" he began, then opened his eyes and stared into a very familiar pair of blue eyes. Dimly, Yami realized that he should probably be moving, but there was something strangely captivating about Kaiba's eyes, and he could feel Kaiba's breath on his face, and was Kaiba moving closer? Yami's rather incoherent train of thought was broken off abruptly when Ranma yelled.  
  
"Hey, Yami, you gonna lay there all day or what?" he asked, looking down at the two. Yami turned bright red, and was up and off of Seto in an instant.  
  
"Sorry?" Yami offered hesitantly, practically hiding behind Ranma as he refused to meet Seto's gaze. Ranma blinked at the uncharacteristic behavior.  
  
"What's going on?" Ukyo asked as she trotted up, Akane close behind. Ukyo did a double take. "It's YOU!" she spat as she recognized Seto, eyes narrowing as she got out her battle spatula.  
  
"Who, Ucchan?" Ranma asked, looking confused.  
  
"*That* is Seto Kaiba," Ukyo said venomously.  
  
"Really now?" Akane said, calmly materializing a mallet out of thin air. So THIS was the jerk that had broken Yami's heart...  
  
Ranma grinned and cracked his knuckles. "Shall we give him a `greeting`?" he asked.  
  
"I'm all for it," Ukyo said. The three of them moved closer to Seto, who blinked at them.  
  
"Who are you people and what do you want with me?" he asked crossly, sitting up.  
  
"We've come to beat you up for hurting our friend," Akane announced.  
  
"What she said," Ranma said, not smiling anymore.  
  
"No," Yami said firmly, and they all turned. "Just let it go, you guys," he continued, placing one hand on Ranma's arm.  
  
"Like hell we will!" Ukyo said, then stopped at Yami's quietly pleading expression. "All right, sugar," she sighed, sheathing her battle spatula. "C'mon, you two; he isn't worth our time," she said, placing an arm around Yami's shoulders and leading him back to their spot. Akane followed after giving Seto a glare that could have withered titanium.  
  
"You got off easy this time, buster," Ranma growled as he walked away. "Next time you won't be so lucky to have someone like Yami around."  
  
Seto watched the group, fists clenching involuntarily as Ukyo hugged Yami comfortingly. He shook himself as he realized what he was doing. Mokuba had been worried about his workload, so he'd come here to "relax." He should have known that the Game King and his new friends would be here...though, it hadn't been too bad at first, watching the slender, spiky-haired youth from a distance. Then Yami had run into him, and he'd felt a rush of something (fire burning through his vein) when he felt the smaller boy on top of him (so close that he could feel him breathing). He'd wanted to kiss Yami then, and he probably would have, if it hadn't been for that other boy. (Where was that irritating chef person he'd seen before?) Why did he feel inexplicably guilty about the fact that Yami seemed to care about him so much, even when he'd been so cruel? And why did he feel *jealous* when Yami got close with some of his friends? It wasn't as though he had any claim to the former pharaoh...  
  
But that's why you're upset, part of him whispered. Because you could have had a claim, but you ruined it with your stupidity. The pharaoh could have been yours, but no more. Isn't that why it hurts, Seto Kaiba?  
  
No! Seto growled, furious with himself for thinking such thoughts. Just because Yami was gorgeous, male or female, just because he wanted to kiss the Game King...just because he wanted to apologize and make things right...that didn't mean anything, right?  
  
This time, Seto didn't try to repress his jealousy when Ukyo hugged Yami again.  
  
**************************************************************************** **  
  
"You know, Kaiba's a really lucky bastard," Ranma said later as he and Akane walked back to the dojo later, having split up from Ukyo and Yami, half-admiring the sunset.  
  
"Why?" Akane asked, though she thought she knew why.  
  
"Because he's got someone that loves him so much even though he's been nothing but an asshole to them," Ranma said, unusually serious. "Yami loves him so unconditionally that it's almost creepy..."  
  
"I suppose you're right," Akane said. "But I don't think Kaiba hates Yami as much as he would like everyone to think," she said, remembering how Kaiba had looked at Yami.  
  
"Guess not," Ranma said, turning to face Akane.  
  
"But I suppose we'd know the most about things like that, ne?" Akane said as she caught and held Ranma's gaze.  
  
"Yeah, we would."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
Saria: I'd like to state for the record that, for the most part, I really don't like this chapter. I don't know why, but I just don't. However, I'm not sure as to how to rewrite it, so it stays as it is. ^^;;;;;;; Anyways, Seto's gotten past the denial and such, so it's smoother sailing to the end of the fic. ^_^  
  
@|------------ Saria-the-green-haired 


	7. Chapter Seven

Warnings: Nothing's changed, so go back and read the other chapters for the warnings.  
  
Pairings: Same as they've always been for the story.  
  
Disclaimer: The only thing that I own is the plot.  
  
Notes: My mother does not understand the meaning of the word "vacation." -_- ;;;; However, I have thwarted her and this is the last chapter, unless I decide to make some random scenes later.  
  
Beware the approaching sap. And I think I may have lied about the whole experimenting-with-Seto-being-wrapped-around-Mokuba's-little-finger-thing, seeing as the two aren't cooperating about that. -_-; Seto's pretty much voting for the "Jump Yami, explain/apologize later" approach. I think I managed to dissuade him though...but enjoy Yami freaking out and acting like Kamui and Daisuke (from D N Angel) in one around Seto. ^_^  
  
And Konatsu is nonexistent or serving other tables. Nyah. I'm also very aware that Mai has dropped off the face of the earth, but I could care less at the moment, as she's done her part.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
Just One Little Shove at Jusenkyo...  
  
By Saria-the-green-haired  
  
~* Chapter Seven: You're SURE I can't kick him out of my restaurant? *~  
  
"Hey, waiter! Over here!" someone called over the deafening din in the restaurant a few days later.  
  
Yami sighed inwardly and walked over. "Are you ready to order yet?" he asked politely, getting out a pad of paper when the apparent head of the table nodded.  
  
"We'd like this one and that one and another one of this one, double quick," the man said.  
  
Yami tried not to groan as he looked at the menu the man was pointing at. Couldn't these people at least NAME their orders? "Will that be all?" he asked after scribbling it all down.  
  
"Yes, now hurry up and tell the cook," the man grunted.  
  
"Yes, sir," Yami said, heading towards Ukyo. "Table seven just ordered," he informed his housemate. "And they're the impatient type."  
  
"It's nothing too complex then, I hope," Ukyo said, whipping out more ingredients.  
  
"Not really, but at least there aren't that many people in here right now...," Yami said, sitting down and running a hand through his bangs.  
  
"Thank God," Ukyo replied.  
  
"Being a waiter really sucks sometimes," Yami said as Ukyo rapidly prepared table seven's orders.  
  
"Hey, at least you aren't doing it in girl form anymore," Ukyo retorted.  
  
"I think that you wouldn't have very many chairs left if I had," Yami said dryly, referring to the incident where he had been forced to hit one of Ukyo's customers over the head with a stool in order to fend off said customer's rather persistent advances.  
  
"No kidding," Ukyo muttered. "There!" she said in a satisfied voice, flipping the last okonomiyaki onto a plate. "Done with all the customers!"  
  
"For now," Yami said, picking up the plates and bringing them to table seven. As he turned back to the grill, the bell above the door tinkled, signifying more customers. "Great," Yami said under his breath as he turned around, then blinked as a very exuberant Mokuba attached himself to his waist. "Mokuba?"  
  
"Hi, Yami~!" the little boy cheered.  
  
"Hello, Mokuba," Yami said with a smile as he knelt down and hugged Mokuba back.  
  
"Where've you been? I missed you a lot! So did oniisama!" Mokuba said.  
  
"Oh, here and there...," Yami said faintly.  
  
"Yami," Seto said neutrally above them, causing both to look up at him and Yami to wonder if he could possibly use Mokuba as a shield.  
  
"I take it you two are here to eat?" Yami asked, smiling weakly as he stood up.  
  
"Hai!" Mokuba cheered as he continued clinging to Yami. "This place is supposed to have the bestest okonomiyaki ever!"  
  
Yami laughed a little before leading them to a table. "Here you go, and here are the menus," he said, giving them two menus. "Wave at the grill when you're ready, all right?" he asked before beating a hasty retreat to Ukyo and relative safety.  
  
"More customers?" Ukyo asked, her head buried in a cookbook.  
  
"In a matter of speaking...," Yami said, sitting down again.  
  
"Anyone we know?" Ukyo inquired.  
  
"Er...why don't you see for yourself?" Yami suggested.  
  
Ukyo did so, then scowled, battle aura flickering. "What is HE doing here?" she demanded.  
  
"Eating?" Yami offered, somewhat disturbed yet touched by Ukyo's worry for him. "Ucchan, you can't hurt him or kick him out; he's a customer."  
  
"Damn," Ukyo said. "Can I glare at him?"  
  
"I suppose..."  
  
"Hey, why's that little kid he's sitting with waving at us?" Ukyo asked.  
  
"Oh, that's Mokuba, his little brother," Yami explained, getting up. "And that means they're ready to order.  
  
"Oh goodie," Ukyo muttered.  
  
"Ready to order, I take it?" Yami said as he approached their table, smiling at Mokuba's enthusiasm.  
  
"Yeah! I wanna pork one an' oniisama wants a beef one," Mokuba said, bouncing in his seat. "And I want some soda if you have any!"  
  
"All right," Yami said, laughing a little as he went to give Ukyo their orders, shivering a little as he felt Seto's gaze on his back. The elder Kaiba was being strangely silent...  
  
"Kaiba's brother's a cute kid, isn't he?" Ukyo said.  
  
"Yeah," Yami said absently. "He's spoiled rotten, I think, seeing as they're really rich and Kaiba adores him."  
  
"He doesn't act it though," Ukyo remarked as she cooked.  
  
"Nope...you done yet?"  
  
"Just about," Ukyo said, flipping the okonomiyaki onto the plates, which Yami took over to the two brothers.  
  
"Enjoy your meal," he said, setting the plates and a cup down. As he turned to leave, Seto grabbed his wrist.  
  
"Can I talk to you later?" Seto asked, eyes serious. "In private?"  
  
Yami made a faintly affirmative sound, nodded slightly, and all but ran back to the grill.  
  
"You okay?" Ukyo asked, pretending like she hadn't watched the whole scene.  
  
"I think so...," Yami said, tracing patterns on the countertop with his finger. "Can I go to my room?" he asked suddenly.  
  
Ukyo glanced around the restaurant, which was fairly empty. "I suppose you can, since the crowd's dying down..."  
  
"Thanks," Yami said gratefully, running upstairs.  
  
Seto watched the exchange silently. When he and Mokuba were finished eating, he stood up. "Go tell the chauffeur to take you home and that I'll call when I'm ready to leave, Mokuba," he commanded.  
  
"Are you gonna talk to Yami now?" Mokuba asked curiously, blinking innocently at his older brother.  
  
"Yes," Seto said curtly. "Now go."  
  
"Okay, 'niisama!" Mokuba said, running out the door after giving his brother a hug.  
  
"What are you doing?" Ukyo demanded as Seto walked resolutely towards the stairs he'd seen Yami go up earlier.  
  
"What does it look like?" Seto asked, not looking at her.  
  
"Look, buster, I don't know what you think you're doing, but I'm not going to let you hurt Yami anymore...," Ukyo said threateningly.  
  
"I'm not going to," Seto said, turning back to her, looking completely sincere. "Now get off my case and don't eavesdrop," he added, walking up the stairs.  
  
"Leave it to Yami to fall in love with a jackass...," Ukyo muttered under her breath.  
  
**************************************************************************** *********  
  
Yami was lying facedown on his bed when the door creaked open.  
  
"Go away, Ucchan," he said, not looking up. "I don't feel like talking right now."  
  
"That's really a pity then," a voice that was most definitely NOT Ucchan's replied as Yami felt someone sit on the bed. "Seeing as you promised to talk with me."  
  
Yami shot upright and backed as far away from Seto as he could without falling off the bed. "K-Kaiba!" He stammered. "What are you doing in here?"  
  
"Talking to you," Seto said simply, moving closer.  
  
"Oh, right...wh-what did you want to talk about?" Yami asked nervously, mentally debating the pros and cons of running for the door.  
  
"You. Me. Us," Seto said, leaning even nearer.  
  
Yami went red. "Say what?" he asked, moving away and falling off the bed.  
  
"Well, first off, I want to apologize for being such a jerk," Seto said, standing up as Yami pulled himself to his feet.  
  
"O-okay...," Yami said, backing up as Seto came closer. "Is that all?" he asked.  
  
"How can you forgive me that easily?" Seto demanded, backing Yami up against the wall.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Yami asked, trying not to hyperventilate. "You apologized, and that's all I need, so it's all right now."  
  
"No it isn't!" Seto growled. "I hurt you; I wouldn't let you explain, and I jumped to my own conclusions. Even after I found out what happened, I continued to hurt you. How can you forgive me for that?"  
  
"Just because...," Yami said, looking away with a faint blush staining his cheeks.  
  
With a jolt, Seto realized what Yami wasn't saying. "You love me," he said softly.  
  
"...yes...," Yami said. "I'm sorry," he continued miserably when Seto didn't say anything. "You can go now and forget we ever had this conversation-" Yami jumped as Seto gently placed a finger on his mouth, silencing him. "Uhhhh..."  
  
"Thank you," Seto said gently, blue eyes dark with an unidentifiable emotion. "But I don't know if I love you," the young billionaire said.  
  
Yami felt his heart sink.  
  
"However...," Seto continued. "I *do* know that I like you a lot," he said before leaning down and gently kissing the shell-shocked boy.  
  
"Oh...," Yami managed to say as Seto pulled him into a hug. "Wait, do you like me as a girl or a guy?" he asked, wanting to be sure on this point.  
  
"To be honest, I like you both ways," Seto said, smiling at Yami. "But I think I like you as a guy better," he added, kissing Yami again. "Green hair doesn't suit you," he said, grinning.  
  
Yami glared and hit him with his chair.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~  
  
Saria: ~_~ I don't really like the ending...but I can't be bothered to make it better, so oh well. ^_^;;; And yes, I had absolutely nothing to do today. Ask nicely in your review and I may write another chapter full of omake (extra) scenes, such as Seto finding out who that "chef person" really is.  
  
@|---------- Saria-the-green-haired  
  
:goes off to finally work on her last unfinished fic: 


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